Stories from the Second Dimension
by veryloyalfan
Summary: This is the sequel to Platyborg's Agent Predicament, and A Safer Second Dimension?, so it's basically the continuing story of Platyborg, and all of the alternate dimension counterparts, including my OC AJ, of course. This story picks up shortly after the Tales from the Resistance episode, which I've tried to work into my timeline.
1. Safer, but Never Safe

Platyborg had never liked Charline Doofenshmirtz, ever. Not before the takeover, not under the programing,never. She made his fur crawl, even now, under his metal exoskeleton. He'd always simply accepted that he didn't like her, and there was nothing he could do about it. Who'd have thought she'd be capable of _this_?

He poked around D.E.I., looking for any sign of a hint of a clue where they'd gone.

Doofenshmirtz had, of course, stepped out of line. Not by much, but with Monogram, Candace, and AJ on the board, even a little was too far. They'd slapped him back in jail, and life had gotten simpler again.

Until _she_ poked her head out of the hole she'd been hiding in. He growled, low in his throat. They'd come after _him_ , of course, and his family had been right in the middle of it. He hadn't been able to protect them. He'd been _captured._ They'd had to come to _his_ rescue.

And scared him practically to death in the process. Ferb-Borg? Seriously, where had that cruel idea come from? As if he didn't suffer from enough nightmares already. Just thinking about it made him freeze up like he had when Charline had introduced her latest…

He gripped his head, willing away the imagined images of either of his boys going through the process necessary to make a cyborg. _It didn't happen. It didn't happen!_ When he was finally able to look up, he realized that he was shaking. Suddenly, where the Doofenshmirtzs were wasn't even fractionally as important as knowing the boys were safe.

He took off, flying straight for home. He landed in the backyard, where they _had_ been playing, until he'd scared them stiff. He swallowed, and took a step back.

They raced over to him. Phineas smiled reassuringly. "It's okay, boy. Everyone's safe."

Ferb patted his head. "You've been overworking yourself."

He accepted the comfort they offered, but they didn't know what they were talking about. No one was safe here. This, this whole dimension was anything _but_ safe. One look at their counterparts would tell anyone that. And as for overworking himself, he hadn't found Doofenshmirtz or his non-divorced wife.

Candace raced in through the gate. She didn't have her bowstaff, but somewhere along the run, she'd managed to obtain a hefty stick, and she looked ready to beat a Normbot to death with it. "Is everything okay?"

He gave her an apologetic chatter. She'd taken the whole thing so well, stepping back into power, then stepping back down once the other agents were back. She only snapped back to her old self at times like these, when their pet platypus flew into the yard like the boys were in danger.

"I think he was just worried about us, Candace."

She studied him, in between twitchy glances over her shoulder. "Is that true?"

He nodded, and she made a visible effort to relax before her eyes narrowed. "Why?"

He had no idea. It wasn't as if he'd discovered they were in danger, or even just had a bad feeling. He shrugged, trying again to rub away the headache that had been nagging him since Vanessa tricked them into letting her parents escape.

Candace didn't seem to need an explanation. He didn't really expect her to. She set the stick down and stepped away from it, fingers twitching like it physically pained her to be unarmed. "Alright then. I guess I'll, go help mom with supper."

Phineas gestured to the project they'd been working on. "Wanna help us, boy?"

He glanced back over his shoulder. _They're still out there…_

Ferb gave him a gentle nudge. "You'll be able to focus better if you rest a bit."

 _Well, maybe…_

He settled down beside them. _It can't hurt to rest a_ _few_ _minutes. It will be worth it if it makes them feel better._ Besides, being near them _was_ helping.

* * *

The next thing he knew, he was bing gently petted awake. _Awake?!_ His eye shot open, and he leapt to his feet. "It's okay, boy! You just need to come inside now. It's getting dark."

He stared around the yard, now mostly shadows. _I fell asleep. When I was supposed to be watching the boys._ How had he let that happen?

He followed Phineas inside, where a plate of food waited for him at his place at the table. The boy leaned against the table, and watched him eat. "You've got to start taking it easier. You can't keep us safe a _ll_ the time."

He nodded in agreement. _That's the problem, Phin. I couldn't even protect you when I was right there. How am I supposed to make sure you're safe when I'm not around?_

"I'm not sure that nod meant what I hope it meant."

He shrugged, offering a small smile as consolation, and pushed back from the table. _Well, thanks for the nap and snack, Phin. I'd better get back out there._

"I was afraid of that." Phineas ran over and blocked the door, as aware of his pet's superior strength as he was of the fact that he'd never hurt him. "You barely slept an hour, and you are not going back out there until you've had a good night's rest. I understand why you want to find them, but pushing yourself to the point of exaustion isn't going to help anybody. What's going to happen to us if you find him, and you're too tired to fight, huh?"

 _Don't worry about_ that _, Phin, the adrenaline alone would be enough to wake me up. Still…_ Maybe Phineas was right. His nights had been getting later and later since the Dofenshmirtz family took off. He wasn't a _ll_ robot, and a good night's sleep curled up at the foot of the boy's beds was sounding nicer by the second. He nodded.

Phineas broke into a smile. "Good!"

Before going to sleep this time, he switched himself to sentry mode. If anyone moved, he'd wake up. Yes, it got a little annoying each time one of the boys rolled over, but he'd put up with a lot worse to make sure they were safe. Besides, it wasn't as if he minded waking up to find everyone snug in bed, and safe, for the moment.

Safe. He was being to doubt there was any such thing. They hadn't been safe when they won. They hadn't been safe while Doofenshmirtz was under house arrest, though there were considerably ahead of where they were now. He gave a sigh, wishing for the thousandth time that nobody had overreacted. Doofenshmirtz had only gotten carried away with a trap that had almost killed _him_ , for crying out loud. Accidents happen, and as far as accidents go, he'd been willing to overlook it. But Aj had been there, and when she pulled up the security footage, she hadn't had to to say a word to convince everyone else that Doofenshmirtz was starting to become a threat again, and, really, he hadn't put up much of a fight. After all, he knew if that trap had caught someone else, he'd be singing a different tune.

 _Thinking about it isn't going to do any good. Just relax. They're as safe as they can be right now, and that's all you can hope for._ He curled up as much as his metal plating would allow, and surrendered to sleep willingly this time.

* * *

 **A/N: I made a few changed to the scene where Candace rushes in, thanks to the advice i1i1wow gave me. Thanks again for that! = )**

 **Anybody else wish they'd turn Tales from the Resistance into a spin-off series? Anyway, until they do, it's back to speculating what happened next. Granted, it took a little work to cram the timeline I came up with into the cannon one, but, just, please bear with me, and ignore the inconsistencies. This is the third story I've written about the Second Dimension, and, obviously, takes place some time after The merge between A Safer Second Dimension?, and the tv episode.**

 **It all starts with Platyborg's Agent Predicament, which I've just entered into a contest on Inkitt. stories/49791 If you liked the story, and wouldn't mind a quick trip over there to give me a vote, I'd be grateful, and um… I'll try to make the following chapters less boring?**

Doofenshmirtz: "What? You're bribing them?"

 **Not exactly! I'm just saying…**

Doofenshmritz: "Just saying what? That if they don't vote, you'll make the next chapter boring?"

 **Of course not! And what are you even doing here? You're not supposed to be in this dimension!**

Doofenshmirtz: "Wha'? It just says 'Doofenshmritz'! How do you know which one?"

 **Because I haven't punched you in the face yet, that's why, Doof.**

Doofenshmirtz: … … … … "Good point. So back to the contest, you going to offer any reason why they should vote? Or at least go back and try to muscle through your stories?"

 **Um, you and Perry are in the Safer Second Dimension?**

Doofenshmirtz: "Oh! Well in that case, by all means! Wait… I was never in a second dimension! I'd remember something like that!"

 **Well… this is obviously just a bad dream then. Go back to sleep.**

 **Sorry about that. Anyway, I've guess I've covered everything except for the disclaimer about how I don't own Phineas and Ferb and Company, in either dimension. The only character I own in AJ (More on her next chapter)**

 **And, as always, thanks for reading!**


	2. Hey, Where's Annie?

A small movement in the room set off an alarm in his head. His eye snapped open, and he surveyed the whole room. His first coherent thought was, _They're safe._

Phineas dangled his legs over the edge of the bed. "It's okay boy. It's just morning."

Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher much have heard his voice, because she opened the door. "Morning boys! What do you want for breakfast?"

Phineas pulled him closer so he could pat him. "Anything's fine, Mom."

Ferb nodded from the other side of the room.

Everything was so normal, so what felt out of place? _Wait… why is Linda making breakfast? And why was Candace helping her with supper last night? Annie usually cooks..._

While Phineas and Ferb got dressed, he walked down the hall to AJ's room, and pushed the door open. The usual twinge of sadness rushed over him when he saw her room. Everything she didn't use everyday was still packed away in boxes. Even though the Flynn-Fletchers had practically adopted her into the family, she still couldn't see, to shake the idea that she was going to be asked to move on, any day now.

As far as he was concerned, she _was_ family. What she wasn't, was here, now.

Phineas and Ferb stopped in the doorway. "Candace? Did AJ come home last night?"

"Yeah. I think she's downstairs."

 _So that's alright then._ Feeling completely refreshed from a good night's sleep, he followed the boys down to breakfast. He still had his fears, but they were more under control now.

Which, from the way AJ's head was drooped, was more than he could say for his friend. He walked over, and peered over her shoulder. She was trying to fine a paper trail to Doofenshmirtz. Any of them.

She barely looked up. "Hey Perry." Hair frazzled, eyes a little swollen around the edges, she looked like he'd felt last night, and that was frightening, coming from her.

 _She must've gotten as caught up in this Doofenshmirtz thing as I did._ He took the file, and firmly pulled it from her hands.

"Perry…"

He crossed his arms, and shook his head. _The boys were right about me needing a break, and you need one, too._ He waited for her to smile, or reassure him that she was fine. Instead, she stacked the files she was holding, and quietly stood up. "I'll grab a quick breakfast."

He stared after her, worried frown in place. He'd seen Annie Jamison down before. And in that state, he'd seen her work tirelessly around the clock for days at a time to help him. He'd seen her stand up and stretch after an all nighter, and be just as chipper as she would have been with a full eight hours sleep. He realized with a start that he hadn't seen that Annie for quite a while now.

Breakfast was quiet. No happy planning from the boys. No funny stories from Mr. or Mrs. Flin-Fletcher. He leaned on one hand, and poked at his food. _What happened to us?_

Doofenshmirtz. The answer was always Doofenshmritz. Even though they couldn't find a trace of him, the man was still casting a shadow over them. Contaminating the air, making it impossible to breath freely.

AJ's chair pushed back, and she wrapped up the majority of her breakfast, and stuck it in the fridge, before heading out the door. He started after her, but by the time he made it to the doorway, her car was already moving. It would have been simple to catch up to her, but he wasn't sure how to help her. It was like someone had taken his friend, and left this sullen cheerless stranger in her place. He wasn't sure how to cope, but, knowing her, she'd probably snap out of it soon enough. Right?

He glanced over his shoulder, saw the boys watching him with worried expressions, and smiled. Doofenshmirtz wasn't going to take today away from them. He went out back, and started digging through blueprints.

It wasn't long before the boys came out. "Perry?!"

He handed over a rolled up plan with a happy chatter. _I know what we're going to do today._

* * *

It was _so_ good to hear the boys laughing again.

Phineas was already back to himself. "At this rate, we'll be programing nanobots in no time! Can we go around again, Perry?"

He nodded, started up his rockets, and grabbed a bar on the not-so-traditional merry-go-round they'd put together. It had been a bigger hit than the swings, slide and monkey bars they put together trying to recreate playground equipment in the park.

Despite their protests, he slowed to a stop when they started looked a little green around the gills. They unbuckled themselves, and teetered three or four steps each before toppling into the grass, and bursting back into laughter. He wasn't in much better shape.

A car pulled to a stop out front. He ran to make sure it was safe, relaxing when he saw that it was only Annie, still looking down, but no worse for the wear. He waved a greeting but she never looked up. She went into the house, and left less than a minute later with the file he'd taken from her earlier tucked under her arm.

The boys followed him to the gate in time to see her take off again. "Hey, what's with AJ lately?"

All he could do was shrug.

"Maybe we should work on something to cheer her up."

Candace spoke from the doorway. "Leave it alone, Phineas. AJ just needs some space right now."

"You keep saying that, but how do you know for sure? And how much longer is she gonna need space?"

"That's not important. What's important is that we try to respect her privacy. Got it?"

"Sure. Hey, you want to try a couple of rotations?"

"Um… well, I… what the heck is that thing?"

"Don't worry, it's safe."

She walked over to it and poked it, then turned, putting her hands on her hips. "And just how sure of that are you?"

"We tested it with sacks of potatoes, and installed seat belts and stuff. But if you're really worried about it, why don't you give it a try?"

"Okay, I will. But until I'm sure it's safe, you stay off of it."

"Okay. Start 'er up, Perry!"

He nodded walking over to join them while Phineas and Ferb strapped their sister in. He shook his head at the way she pulled at everything, checking it over like they had that morning. "You haven't been running this thing top speed have you?"

He rolled his eye as he grabbed the bar. _Like I'm going to deliberately put them in danger for a few cheep thrills. Give me a little credit here!_

She looked like she was going to scold him for the look, then seemed to remember that he was the leader of the resistance now, instead of her. He gave her a quick salute before starting up his rockets again, feeling badly for being impatient with her. After all, she'd been protecting the boys a lot longer than he had.

Knowing she could handle a little extra oomph, he kicked it up a notch, and went round a few more times. When he slowed it down, she baled out, collapsing to the ground, real genuine laughter bubbling from her throat. He teetered over to help her up, pressing a hand to his head to try to stop the world from spinning.

Phineas clasped his hands together. "Can we go again once you guys can see straight?"

Candace took his hand, and let him pull her to a sitting position. "Well, I guess it's safe enough. I'll um, I'll have to go, too. Just um, just in case."

He grinned. _Day seized._

* * *

 **A/N: Yes, AJ's creeping her way into this story, too, but I'm** _ **trying**_ **to focus more on the kids! Just trying to shake things up a little. Really not sure that counted as a more exciting chapter, but I've got to give a little while before the drama and angst starts back up!**

 **Doof: "Oh sure, excuses, excuses. Did you really think a PERRY-Go-Round was ever gona be considered exciting?"**

… " **You're not going to make this a thing, are you?"**

 **Doof: "You're changing the subject! And why am I Doof today instead of Doofenshmirtz?"**

" **Um, duh. Easier to type. Plus it annoys you. Bonus points."**

 **Doof: "I'm beginning to see where MC gets her rudeness from."**

" **Again, duh! And don't confuse the readers! You're not in this story, (at the moment) except here, so no one calls her MC."**

 **Doof: "Fine. You know what? I don't have time for you anyway. Don't thank me for getting you back online or anything!"**

… " **You** _ **do**_ **realize… oh, never mind. As always, everyone, thanks for reading! And thanks for the reviews!"**

 **Doof: "Yeah, thanks! But what is it I'm supposed to realize? Hello? What, you're just going to stop talking to me now? Oh, real mature!"**


	3. Limits

Phineas and Ferb shot out of bed, and raced to the stairs as soon as they got dressed. He smiled as they actually slid down the railing. "What's on the agenda, today, Perry?"

He typed a few words into his wrist communicator, and brought up a 3d map of the Tri State area, then circled it with his finger.

Phineas didn't look _too_ disappointed. "Oh. I was kind of hoping you'd take another day off."

Ferb smiled. "Well, he can't take _every_ day off."

He nodded in agreement.

Phineas went on, undaunted. "Mom says that they finally reopened the mall. She's taking us. You sure you can't come, even for a little while?"

He shook his head. _Even if I can't find Doofenshmirtz, we need to keep our borders secured. Who knows what other villains will try to step in with him out of the way?_

"Well, alright then. Stay safe, okay?"

He nodded, smile fading as he pointed to both of them. There was nothing he took more seriously than their safety.

"Oh don't worry about us, boy. Candace is coming, too, and I think she said something about Jeremy having a job there. We'll be fine."

He clicked the map off, and tapped his wrist. _You know how to contact me if_ anything _goes wrong._

Ferb rolled his eyes, and spoke again. "Yes, Perry, we know. We're just going shopping. Stop worrying so much."

He allowed himself a little smile at that. _It's my_ _job_ _to worry._ One that he would never trade.

* * *

He was halfway through his rounds before he tried to use his bionic eye to scan for Doofenshmirtz. A red error message came up. 'Database outdated. Please update to continue scan.' He tried to download it, but anther error message popped up. 'Wireless download not available for security precautions. Please proceed to the nearest O.W.C.A. base to complete download manually.'

He rolled his eye. _I hate technology._

* * *

He completed the download in his lair ,and closed the trap-door behind him. A floorboard creaked above him, putting him on edge. _Everyone went to the mall… they can't be back already._

Just as well, since that meant there was an intruder in the house. Possible Doofenshmirtz, or that treacherous Panda. He switched to silent mode, and crept up the stairs. He pushed the door open, and relaxed when he saw the back of Annie's head. _What's she doing here?_ The better follow up question was, _What's she doing sitting on the floor?_

He walked around the bed, and his mouth dropped open; she was hugging a pillow to her face, muffling silent sobs. His hand shot to her shoulder. _What's wrong?!_

She either choked on a gasp or another sob as she looked up, looking terrified. For a second, he wondered if she was thinking of the Platyborg that hadn't remembered anything good about life, but when she turned away, trying frantically to wipe the tears from her face, he guessed a more likely explanation.

He walked to her other side. _You do_ _ **not**_ _have to hide your tears from me._

She refused to look back up, probably realizing that she couldn't wipe the swollen-ness from her eyes. Not that it mattered. She couldn't even stop crying. His guess what that she'd held it in too long.

"Go away." It was a broken plea, but not one he could consent to. Maybe Candace was right. Maybe she did need her space. But that hadn't been what he'd needed, and she'd known it, and refused to give it to him. He hugged her, silently giving her permission to cry, his little heart breaking the whole while.

He didn't know this Annie. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen her cry. Certainly nothing more than a few tears, even early on. But she was crying now, and he had to at least try to help.

Despite her initial attempt to push him away, her fingers found the fur on the back of his neck, She started to pet him as she gathered him into her arms, and rocked him back and forth. An occasional trembled sob breaking loose.

He hugged her as tightly as he could without hurting her. She wasn't trying to shut him out, or letting things harden her; she was hurting. No small wonder, with everything she'd been through.

She finally found the strength to stop, her breathing slowly returned to normal. Her voice trembled. "I'm sorry. I…" She shook her head, obviously unable to go without letting loose another wave of tears.

 _No._ He refused to let her pull away. _Don't you dare apologize to me._ How many times had she hid her tears in a pillow so he wouldn't see? And why hadn't he noticed until now?

"I guess, there's not point trying to explain."

He frowned at her. _Talk to me. Let_ _ **me**_ _be here for_ _ **you**_ _, just this once._

She sighed. "It's just… everything, I guess. It was _my_ idea to lock Doofenshmirtz up."

He nodded dryly. _Right, so when his crazy ex-divorced-wife pulled off her convoluted plan to free him, that was all your fault, too. C'mon, Annie._

He smiled, and typed something into his wrist. A tiny 3D model of the earth was projected, and he spun it so that it was revolving around her, and rolled his eye.

The first real smile he'd seen from her in weeks lit her eyes. The sound in her throat was much more of a chuckle as she rubbed her nose to the tip of his bill. The smile didn't last long though. "And, you know, the rest of it."

He looked down at the modifications the boys had lovingly made for him, and nodded. _It's been hard. And I'm scared he's coming back, too. But if we live the rest of our lives in fear, then, he wins, without having to do another single thing._

She couldn't have gotten all of that, but she hugged him close again. "Thanks, Puddin'."

 _No._ He watched in dismay as she slipped her mask back on, that distant look returning to her eyes. She couldn't just leave it at that, and keep living like nothing had ever bothered her, but from the look on her face, she was determined to try.

He was going to need help on this one, and thankfully, he knew just the right people for the job.

* * *

 **A/N: AAAAAND we're back to a chapter pretty much entirely AJ and Platyborg. Oops. Well, hopefully the next chapter will justify all this.**

 **Until then, thanks for reading!**


	4. A Christmas Surprise

He'd circled the city twice, scanning for Doofenshmirtz, but nothing came up, when he saw his family pulling into their driveway, he decided to call it a day.

Phineas jumped out of the car and raced to him as he landed. "Perry!"

Even though he _had_ waited until the second the car was completely stopped, Candace shot him a disapproving look. She opened her door, and stopped short of giving him a lecture on the safety of moving vehicles. Again.

Ferb exited with a little more style, waiting patiently for his hug.

"The mall was awesome! Who knew there was a building with so many super cool ideas on display?! Mom said they were to buy, and that took some of the fun out of it, but then we found something we _did_ want to buy! It's in the back. Can you help us with it, boy?"

He walked obligingly over to the trunk, stopping to give Ferb a hug on the way. Phineas opened the trunk door, and beamed proudly.

 _Is that a Christmas tree?_

Phineas rubbed his hands together, barely able to contain the energy his excitement was generating. "Mom says these are what people used to use to decorate for Christmas! They were all on sale, because, well, it's summer, so it's not Christmas. But we've missed so many… and then we got thinking; do you remember how AJ used to smile whenever she'd talk about Christmas? She said it was her very most favorite time of year!"

Candace sighed, shaking her head as she grabbed an armload of bags. "I still say you need to just leave it. This lull isn't giving her anything to focus on right now, and it's dredging up a lot of feelings she hasn't had time to come to terms with."

He blinked up at the stern redhead. Annie never would have admitted something like that to Candace, so there was only one way she could sound so certain. She glanced down at him, and must have seen the sympathy he hopped was clear on his face. She tried to smile, but apparently, she was fighting some emotions on her own.

"I know, sis, but this will give her something happy to focus on for a little bit. It might help."

She shrugged. "Whatever. You've come this far; we might as well set this stuff up. Doesn't look like she's back yet."

From the hours she'd been putting in at the newly refurbished O.W.C.A. building lately, they had time. He grabbed the bulky box, and carried it into the living room.

—

Phineas wanted to create a rotating set of rooms, each highlighting a different Christmas theme, but he let them talk him into just decorating every inch of the living room. And some of the kitchen.

He suspected it was only because the poor kid didn't even remember Christmas.

Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher, however, was all too happy to explain as she helped them decorate.

Candace went immediately to her room, but after a while, she appeared in the doorway. She leaned against the frame, trying to keep a disapproving frown in place.

He walked over, and handed her a string of beads.

She rolled her eyes, and snatched them. "Oh _fine_." But there was the slightest hint of a smile as she stomped over to the tree to add them.

 _You need this, too._

Maybe they all had.

When Mr. Fletcher came home from work, a huge smile lit his face. "Would you look at all this then! Is it Christmas already?"

Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher hugged him. "It's been _far_ too long already."

"Quite right, my dear. How can I help?"

The all dove into the box of ornaments Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher had saved in the attic.

After they finished decorating the tree, Phineas laughed, and stuck a Christmas bow to his head, petting him. He suddenly frowned. "Uh, oh… I think we forgot something!"

At that moment the door opened, and a very shocked Annie walked into the middle of things.

Phineas leapt to his feet, but there was no way to hide anything. "The lights! Quick, somebody…"

Ferb was already on top of things. He plugged them in with a flourish, while Phineas and Candace grabbed the packaging and stuffed it in the box, out of the way.

Phineas stopped smiling for the first time since he'd come home. In fact, he looked a little worried. "We, um… we wanted to cheer you up by having an early Christmas, you know, to make up for the last five years."

She pressed a hand over her mouth, and she looked like she was going to cry again. _Maybe it wasn't fair to shock her like this…_

Phineas shrugged. "We, we forgot to buy you a present, though. So… I guess…"

A tear _did_ run down her face, but when she pulled her hand away, she was smiling. A real, honest to goodness smile. "Oh Phineas, how could I ask for a better present than this? Thank you so much! All of you. You… you can't know what this means to me."

Mrs. Flynn-Fletched stepped forward, and reached out her arms. "Well you've come to mean a lot to us, honey, and we hope you know that."

She accepted the hug, another tear running down her cheek.

Phineas wrung his hands. "We, we didn't mean to make you cry."

She stooped down to hug him, too. "These aren't sad tears, Phineas. I'm crying because I'm so happy. Because, after all this family has been through, you can still pull together something like this."

Candace stepped forward. " _We_ can pull together something like this."

"That's right, AJ. You're part of this family, too."

Ferb joined in on the hug.

Feeling a little left out, he chattered, and slipped under Phineas's arm.

It wasn't a typical day for any of them, but it was surprising how _normal_ it all felt.

Phineas pulled away and raced for the kitchen. "We got stuff for Christmas cookies, too. You don't have to make them, but we saved that just in case. Oh, and we saved your favorite decoration to put out, too."

She smiled as let Phineas lure her into the kitchen where the groceries were still scattered across the counter. "The manger scene!"

He followed, not wanting to miss a second, while the rest of the family scrambled to get the trash out.

Phineas looked a little disappointed as she lovingly took the pieces from the Styrofoam they'd been packed into. "Why is this your favorite part? Does it light up? Do they move? It's not even sparkley."

She smiled as she set out the pieces. "I love this decoration best, because you can have Christmas without a tree, or lights. You can have war moments where you show people you care without presents, or stockings. You can decorate cookies any time of the year. But there wouldn't even be Christmas without _this_."

His eyes widened in awe. " _That_ little toy stable?"

She laughed. "No Phineas. This is just a reminder. I meant this time that it symbolizes."

"Does it have something to do with that baby?"

"Yes, yes it does."

"What?"

She ruffled his hair. "Well I'd be more than happy to tell you the story. But you prefer to find things out for yourself, don't you? You're welcome to use my Bible anytime. Luke chapter 2 tells the story, and if you've got questions after that, I'll be more than happy to answer them."

"Alright AJ. AJ?"

"Yes, Phineas?"

"Are you feeling better now?"

He almost face palmed, but the boys honest question didn't bring anything more than a smile to her eyes. " _Much_ better, thank you. You guys reminded me that, I'm not alone anymore, and we're all gonna pull through, just fine."

He pushed a cup of hot chocolate towards her with a quiet chatter.

She grinned. "Alright. Let's get started on those cookies!"

He had a feeling that if this was going to _be_ the new normal, no one in that room would utter a single complaint.

 **A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! You see? You see? I was** _ **going**_ **somewhere with this, and had either jump to December, or do something like this, and this is just what came together. There, I got a Christmas feeling story in in time for Christmas, and I feel** _ **so**_ **much better now!**

 **Doof: "Does that mean you're going to get a move on, and upload the other Season X stories that are just waiting for your pathetic attempts to get rid of the typos?"**

 **I get rid of the typos! When, I see them. Like, all the times in every story I've uploaded since coming back that** _ **had**_ **scene breaks that didn't copy and paste, for some reason. I fixed those.**

 **Doof: "Ha! You honestly think those are your only typos?"**

 **I said I fix the ones I catch, okay? Telling me that there are ones I've probably missed isn't exactly helping!"**

 **Doof: "Merry Christmas!"**

 **Well played, Doof, well played.**

 **Thanks for reading, and, seriously guys, have a wonderful Christmas, and an awesome New Year!**


	5. Dream Crusher

In a vault inside his wife's secret hideout, just outside of the Tri-State-Area, a one eye's man dressed entirely in black gloated over some surveillance photos he new General had collected. He was still toying with a name. Pandaborg was a nice, obvious choice, but he wasn't sure a little arm replacement and a memory suppression chip _really_ made something a cyborg. The Bionic Panda sounded stupid, though. Hmmm… Pandonic? Never mind. He'd think of something later.

After he took care of those pesky kids. And by 'taking care of' of course he meant painfully annihilating by any means possible. He'd track them all done, one by one, but there wasn't anyone on his list as high as those annoying meddlers that had broken into Charline's place and freed Platyborg. That mouthy redhead and those two boys were going to pay dearly. As for Platyborg, well, he was willing to let bygones be bygones. He'd settle for wiping his mind again. He just wanted his true general back. It was those kids he wanted revenge on.

And now, he was close. They'd gone out shopping, and never noticed they were being watched. He clicked to another picture that showed the annoying redhead getting too close with narrowed eyes. _Most_ of them never noticed they were… what was that? A Christmas tree? They'd bought a Christmas tree?

He gritted his teeth as he looked through the next few photos. Just look at them, all smiling, and happy. Like he'd never existed at all. Like they hadn't stolen his general, and driven him and his family into hiding. How dare they? How _dare_ they? Seriously. How _**dare**_ they?

Well, no one was going to hand him his revenge on a silver platter. First things first, he needed one of those two boys. Get him, and the other two little idiots would come running. With any luck, they'd bring Platyborg.

On second thought, bringing Platyborg probably wouldn't do good thing for his plan. Unless… _why_ did he have this gnawing sense of certainty that if he had any one of those kids, Platyborg would do _anything_ to try to help them? Eh, classic good guy behavior. He wouldn't count on it too heavily. He'd send the panda-thing to keep Platyborg busy while he took out the leaders of the resistance, and got his revenge at the same time.

He rubbed his hands together, smiling evilly. It would be so simple. The weird one with the green hair and the one line per day unnerved him a little. He'd go for the infuriatingly happy one, and take whoever came running to get him. If no one did, he'd finish him off, and lure another one into his trap.

Simple, but effective. Annoying kid, weird kid, mouthy teenager. They were all on his list, and they all had something else in common.

Soon, they'd be _history_.

 **A/N: Well…**

 **Doof: "Wow. Just, what the heck are you trying to do? You're all like, Merry Christmas, and then, WHAM! The DAY after Christmas, you post that killjoy. What happened to and Awesome New Year, huh?"**

 **Well I waited until AFTER Christmas! Besides, it's the second dimension. I can't be the only one who saw this coming.**

 **Doof: "Sure, the bad guy trying to take over, or get revenge on Platyborg, whatever. But plotting to snatch some poor happy little kid off the streets?! Who is this creep, anyway?!"**

 **Ummm…**

 **Doof: "Oh fine. Don't spoil it for anyone. It's weird though. His wife's name is Charline, just like my ex. And there's something kind of familiar about the way his mind works. Except for his whole horribly dark and depressingness that is. Oh well."**

 **Sorry to depress anyone. Thanks for reading, though!**


	6. Worst Nightmare

Phineas jumped out of bed, raced downstairs, and stood in the living room, grinning. All the Christmas stuff was still there. In fact, none of their inventions had disappeared yet. He thought that was a little strange, after what the other him had said, but hey, at least they got to keep all the neat stuff.

He smiled at all the lights, wondering why Christmas was a winter thing. Maybe they could leave it up all summer, and get the best of both worlds! The others sure could use the extra cheery environment.

AJ was up, making breakfast, and looking more like her old self. "Still feeling better?"

She smiled at him. "Much. Where are Ferb and Perry?"

"Still asleep. Hey, I did end up borrowing that Bible of yours. Would it be alright if I held onto it a little longer?"

"You hold onto it as long as you need to. I can get another one."

"Thanks. Hey, I'm gonna go check for mail."

She nodded, busy whisking the eggs.

He skipped down the driveway, and peered into the mailbox. His face fell a little. "Empty. Oh well. Maybe…" He heard a noise behind him, and turned around to see a familiar figure staring at him. He dove out of the way, and yelled instinctively for the person he'd counted on for the last five years. "Candace!"

—

Perry's eyes snapped open, and he was running towards the terror filled voice before it even fully registered.

Candace, still in her pajamas, bolted out of her room, and almost overtook him. He was aware of Ferb jumping out of bed behind them as they raced down the stairs. He jumped over the splatted eggs on the kitchen floor, and nearly knocked the door off it's hinges, as he activated his blaster, and skidded to a stop in the front yard.

Phineas wasn't there.

He blinked, soaking everything in as Candace rolled into the yard beside him, spinning her bowstaff.

Annie was on her knees in the grass a few feet away, clutching her arm, and staring at the mailbox.

Candace recovered enough to race to her side first. "What happened?"

Annie shook her head, wiping at an angry tear as Candace made sure her wound wasn't serious. "He just stepped outside to get the mail, then he yelled. Peter was out here. He got a shot in, then they just vanished."

"Teleported." Candace muttered the word under her breath like a curse.

He walked to the mailbox, and scanned the area.

Nothing.

 _No!_ There had to be some small scrap of a clue. Anything, to tell him where to find Phineas! If Doofenshmritz had him… Doofenshmirtz… he let out a groan; if _only_ he hadn't waited to test out his theory. But they still had a chance.

He raced over to the girls, glancing down at Annie's arm as he did; the fabric had been singed away, but it didn't look like anything worse than a nasty burn. He turned his full attention to Candace, who would agree with him much faster.

His fingers fumbled the controls in his wrist, and he finally found the right recording.

Doofenshmritz hovered in between them as the recorded message played.

" _This is a message for former General Platyborg: If you turn yourself in, I won't have to hurt the two little boys in my dungeon. Or the teenage girl my Norbot's just caught trying to break them out. Someone really should have told her that I upgraded my security after her last little visit. Anyway, if you don't know who I'm talking about, then it's your little family, and they're going to be tortured in one hour if you don't cooperate. Your choice."_

Candace shook her head. "Yeah, I remember that…"

"Perry, no!" Annie shook her head. "We'll find Doofenshmritz, but…"

He silenced her with a look. _We're out of time._

Candace finally got it. "You're going to give yourself up to lure him out."

 _Or bring me to him. Either way, it's our best chance of finding him in time to save Phin._

Annie stood up. " _I_ let Phineas come out here alone. _I'll_ be the bait."

"There's no way he wants you as much as Perry. Sorry AJ, but the important thing is saving Phineas, not pinning the blame, and we all know how obsessive Doofenshmritz is when it comes to Platyborg."

She turned around, probably because she didn't have her sunglasses. Somewhere inside, he twinged a little when she called him Platyborg, but he knew she was just distancing herself so they could do what they had to do.

—

 **A/N: Yep. This** _ **is**_ **the second dimension. For a while there, I was wondering. So, anyway, I'm going to go post the next chapter before Doof comes to argue with me anymore.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	7. A Dream Come True

The annoying girl's voice poured from the speaker. "The Resistance consents to exchange Platyborg for the prisoner Doofenshmirtz captured this morning. He's waiting for instructions at the park."

It was a hassle to hook up the television, what with all the filters they had to put up to avoid detection, and all, but Charline was in a mood, so… as he connected the final wire, the screen sprang to life, filling with a picture of a very familiar cybernetic platypus.

The announcement kept repeating on a loop, on all frequencies. He grinned. This was going better than he'd planned. He hadn't even had to tell anyone that's the Pandonic had snatched the boy, and already, they were offering themselves to him.

But Platyborg was only their starting offer. He had a higher price in mind. Not that he was planning on actually selling them anything.

—

Annie couldn't trace the signal's starting point, but the message unscrambled beautifully. "What!?"

Candace and Perry turned towards her sharply. There was no hiding this one, and neither of them would agree to it. All of it, anyway. "He wants Perry, you, a _nd_ Ferb."

Candace didn't even blink. "Counter for me and Platyborg."

Perry stepped in front of her with an angry chatter.

"We've got to find Phineas! If that's what he wants, so be it."

"I'm sending the signal." Perry shot her a look that would have scalded if he hadn't thought she'd just betrayed one of his kids. The message wasn't long coming back. "He's accepting. Candace, clear out."

"But…"

She stood up. "I offered him Perry and _me_. Now clear out. If you're here when Peter comes to pick us up, Ferb will have to track us by himself. Go."

Candace gripped her staff, looking torn between her two brothers. "Find him!" With that, she raced off.

She glanced down. The look on Perry's face had softened into something apologetic. She stooped to hug him. "We'll get him back."

—

The view on his screen changed as the Pandonic… it was growing on him, even if it did still feel a little off, eh, no matter. He'd have Platyborg back soon. Thinking of which, the view was changing because the Pandonic was landing at the meeting point in the park. He rubbed his hands together. Ah! There was his former general… hugging that mouthy O.W.C.A. agent he'd graciously agreed to capture.

He rolled his eye, and folded his hands behind his back. No matter. He'd seen how useful their devotion to each other was, and he's exploit that soon enough.

Some of the glee drained as the cybernetic platypus stepped back, offering a grateful smile. The little artillery unit looked so darn, vulnerable, and he hadn't even _done_ anything yet.

Suddenly, the platypus snapped to action, spinning around to face the camera with a protective step in front of the girl, fists clenched, and that familiar glare hardening his face.

Good. So his soon to be former, former general was still in there somewhere. Useful information, if a little irrelevant at this point. The pandonic looked down at the controls on his bionic arm, and typed in the coordinates.

Suddenly, the three of them were zapped into the room he was standing in. "Oops. I hope you didn't have any plans for your little friends to follow you here."

Platyborg growled low in his throat, and the girl crossed her arms defiantly. "We have a deal, and we're sticking to our end, Doofenshmirtz."

He could have wiped that look off her face by pointing any one of the guns in the room at the platypus, by why get off to a rocky start?

"Well that's all just peachy then. I'm glad I won't have to lock you up or anything, but, yeah, forgive me if I do anyway."

"You've got us. Send the boy back home, and…"

"You're in no position to be making demands. I'm not letting that boy go until Platyborg's weapons are deactivated."

There was the smallest flicker of emotion from the cyborg, and he wasn't able to blink it away. He knew that those weapons were his last bargaining chip, but if he was here to save the boy, he didn't exactly have a choice.

He motioned to the operation table. "C'mon. I can't exactly just take your word of honor that you're not going to fry me, or at the very least, escape. I'll be needing your weapons, too, Missy."

She pulled her pockets inside out. "I didn't bring any."

"Couldn't trust yourself, eh? Probably for the best. The Pandonic's going to scan you anyway. Come along, Platyborg."

The girl's voice was a plea. "Do you have to do it on that stupid operation table?"

"Ease of access." He shrugged, not understanding why she was so upset, until her turned around, and saw Platyborg climb up on the table, and lie flat. His face was pinched with dread, and he looked sick.

Still, what was the big deal? This wasn't even the same room he'd dismantled the cyborg in, just the same table. And it also happened to be the same table he'd saved his life on more recently. Why couldn't they think of _that_? "Oh relax. "I'm just going to disconnect your weapons. No poking, no prying, no modifying." That sounded almost compassionate, so he couldn't resist adding, "For _now_ anyway."

The Pandonic's search came up clean. Huh. The girl had been stupid enough to not try to trick him. He shrugged. Maybe she'd been afraid he'd take it out on Platyborg. He might well have in the past, but now… well, he'd gone too far, and he wasn't going to let it happen again.

He took off the panel and studied the wiring carefully. "What have they done to you? A grappling hook? What would you need one of _those_ for? You can fly!" He traced the wires to the contact point on the weapon control, and unscrewed them, being careful not to damage anything, and Platyborg shot him a look. There was confusion in the eye that blinked at him.

"Yeah, I was telling the truth. Weren't expecting that, were ya? Well, you won't be happy to know that you were right."

Platyborg winced, but he didn't mean he was going to start being cruel. He carefully replaced the panel, then explained. "You see, Platyborg, I'm going to keep you here. And I'm going to keep the girl here. And I'm going to keep the boy here, too. Shocker, I know. But here's the bright side; if you all cooperate, I'm not going to have to torture any of you!"

A lie of course, but he didn't need to torture the boy until he had the other two kids. "You want to hear the best part? Next thing I'm gonna do is make that little resistance brat turn herself in. She wouldn't before, but let me think… who _could_ have been stopping her?"

Platyborg exchanged a grim look with his little friend that confirmed his suspicions.

"And hey, if everyone wants to offer to turn themselves in, that's fine by me! Thanks for the surrender! And just to show you that I really can be a swell guy, I'm even gonna let you have the same cell as the brat. Weren't expecting that either, were ya? What can I say, I'm feeling generous, today. Have ya heard? The leaders of the Resistance just walked in, and _handed_ themselves over without a fight!"

Platyborg didn't even dare to glare at him. His head hung as the Pandonic marched them both out of the room.

He resisted the urge to to a little dance, then figured, what the heck? This was going to be even easier than last time.

—

 **A/N: Doof: "You know you're a terrible person, right?"**

 **I didn't think that was so bad!**

 **Doof: "Yeah, but they're captured again! Defenseless. And just because that jerk is being all nice now, it doesn't mean he's not going to snap. What is** _ **with**_ **you and that operating table?"**

 **It's not mine! You cant blame me! Alt. Doofenshmritz is the sicko that turned Perry into a cyborg!** _ **I**_ **never would have! Besides, aren't you late for mission training or something?**

 **Doof: "Your trying to lighten the mood after another depressing chapter, aren't you?"**

 **Well you're helping, so :P."**

 **Doof: "Colon, space, P? What is… oh, oh I see it now. Yeah. You stuck your tongue out at me, and you think you're clever. Real mature."**

 **Thanks for reading, guys!**


	8. Together, for Now

Phineas sat staring at the floor until he chattered. Only then did the boy look up at the people coming towards him. "Perry!"

The former O.W.C.A. opened the cell door, and he raced into Phineas's arms. His boy seemed to be alright.

The bright smile faded. "Did you guys get captured, too?"

AJ watched the bionic panda leave, then stooped down to join the hug. She whispered, "We had to get to you somehow."

Phineas brightened again. "So this is a plan, then?"

"A working one. We knew we couldn't trust Doofenshmritz, but we also had to comply to his demands. He took Perry's weapons offline. It's too bad no one in this cell knows how to hook them back up again."

He grinned at Doofenshrmtiz oversight. He probably expected that there were a team of scientists at O.W.C.A. that had modified him. He'd never have suspected that the little inventor and the girl had done most of the work themselves.

"We'll need tools though."

"Ferb took care of that."

He indicated a compartment with a secret button. Metal tools weren't exactly hard to hid on his cybernetic body, and right now, he was ever so grateful for that fact.

"So, when do we start? We don't want to get caught."

"But we need to get you out of here, A.S.A.P. Preferably before Candace gets impatient, and storms the place."

"But she won't be able to find it. Doofenshmritz has a force field around the place that scrambles the signal from tracking chips."

"We knew that when we stopped receiving your signal. So Ferb and I made a few adjustments. With any luck, they know where we are now."

"Oh good. For a second there, I was afraid you guys blindly turned yourselves over to Doofenshmirtz in a hopeless attempt to get him to release me."

Perry hugged him closer. _I would have, Phin. But that wasn't all I could do to keep you safe._

Annie brought them back to business. "So it's risky to wait, and it's risky to act now. Which is, guys? It's your call, Perry."

"Well you're both rescuing me, and I say that since either is risky, we should see what we can find out from Doofenshmirtz before we leave. It could make things easier, and safer than acting rashly."

As much as Perry wanted to rashly smash through this cell and get his boy to freedom, he could see the wisdom in his words. Besides, this was all about Doofenshmirtz getting his general back. As long as they were good prisoners, he had no reason to hurt Phineas.

—

How _dare_ that bratty teenager upset his plans? He'd thought he had her pegged so well. Hmm, maybe she _knew_ that the second he had his hands on all three of them, they were all dead. It was more likely than him being wrong.

He wondered what his little prisoners were doing right then, then shrugged. He really needed to get some security camera's installed in the cells in his buildings.

He sat down at his desk, mulling over his plans. He could, of course, just wipe Platyborg's mind again. Heck, as sacrificial as his former general's nature was, he could probably just order him to reprogram _himself._ But there was a flaw in the programing. All he got was a robotic facsimile of the platypus's talents. Sure, he was _loyal_ , but under the programing, he just blindly followed orders. It had been satisfying at first, but now it was stale. He'd been there, done that.

And unlike that stupid Regurgitator, he _knew_ the flaw in the whole 'just keep a gun pressed to the head of whoever he cares about most' plan. It was only useful to an extent, and _very_ dangerous if the hostage ever got free. So he needed something different. Something really clever. Something he couldn't lose control of.

The bottom line was, he was _not_ going back to jail. So that didn't leave him much choice, or time. If he couldn't come up with that perfect scenario, he was going to have to just get rid of the lot of them. He probably should anyway, but he wasn't sure if he _could_ kill the platypus at this point. He hadn't been able to when he'd been intent on torturing him to death. Something had stopped him from pulling that last plug, and that same regret swelled up every time he thought about even a merciful death for his former general.

Still, regret was something he could live with.

Doofenshmirtz had been thorough. Every single gadget in his body was off-line. He had a full range of motion, but even his jets had been shut down. Oh well. He stilled packed a heavy punch, and it wouldn't take Phineas or Annie long to get him back to the way he was. And… he frowned when he realized it would be hard for even _them_ to be any gentler than Doofenshmirtz had been.

He gripped the bars, looking out at the cell-block. What was the evil scientist up to? Some sick mind game? His gut reeled as he tried to shove away the thought of Phineas being turned into that human cyborg Charline wanted. Annie wasn't safe, either.

Safe. Like that was a word that could describe a _nything_ since the initial takeover. Phineas put his arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry, boy. We're going to be fine. You're here. And Candace is looking for us."

He smiled at his boy's blind faith, glad that someone was unable to imagine him or Candace failing to protect the boys.

Annie was curled into the corner of the cell, eyes closed. Alert, but in some sort of standby mode. He remembered wryly that he used to think of it as resting. He'd once been as naive as Phineas. He'd once thought that he was invincible. That _nothing_ would ever come between him and his boys.

Maybe that was why it hurt so much that, when Phineas had only had one second to call out for help, he'd called for his sister, instead of his cybernetic pet. Because Candace _hadn't_ failed him.

—

A mournful sound escaped the tangerine bill. For some reason, the arm he'd put around his pet didn't cheer him up for very long. He wished he knew how to fix things.

"I bet they'll leave the decorations up for us." He smiled at the happy memory, but Perry seemed to be dwelling on less pleasant reminiscences. He didn't understand it. Why couldn't people be happy all the time? Sure, things looked kind of grim right now, but they were already so much better than they had been.

Doofenshmritz had told him he'd never see his family again, but it hadn't been very long before they'd showed up, and then things barely looked bleak at all.

Perry moved, stepping closer, and slipping his none cybernetic arm around his waist with a comforting chatter that reaffirmed that everything was going to be just fine. Perry nudged him gently towards AJ, and laid his head on his hands, indicating that he should get some rest.

He wasn't really tired. They'd done nothing but be captured all day. But if it would reassure his pet, then he'd try. He sat down beside AJ, and she slipped an arm around him. Perry sat down next to him, but he didn't lean against the wall.

His bionic eye was down, and so his sentry setting probably was, too, but he doubted his pet had ever needed it. The brown eye that blinked at him was alert.

He wasn't sure what the point was, keeping watch when they were all locked in a prison cell, but for some reason, it did make him feel better to know Perry would know the minute something happened.

He patted his lap.

The cybernetic platypus hesitated, then laid down, resting his chin on his knee. He smiled, and stroked the fur. He missed Ferb, and Candace, and his parents, but at least he had Perry here.

 **A/N: So there's another chapter. A bit boring, but Doofenshmritz is up to something.**

 **Doof: "Oh that's reassuring. Do you have any clue what he's up to?"**

 **I do. But that's subject to change. If a better plot comes along, we'll head that way.**

 **Doof: "Great. That's just great. That's how you write all your stories, isn't it? And what, is the moral of this chapter supposed to be, 'Your year went great if you're not sitting in an evil dictator's cell waiting to be executed even though you're too naive to know it?'**

 **What? There isn't a moral… it's a chapter! I write chapters themed to seasons sometimes… like your old schemes. It doesn't mean I do it all the time. This is the second dimension. It has nothing to do with new years.**

 **Doof: "But it was just Christmas!"**

 **No! They had a Christmas party to cheer up Annie.**

 **Doof: "You are so weird."**

 **Says the man who once tried to get revenge by insulting the whale that stole his girlfriend.**

 **Doof: "See, you tried to turn that back around to me, but you really just insulted yourself. Even** _ **I**_ **think you're weird."**

 **Well I happen to like being weird. SO :P**

 **XD Thanks for reading guys!**


	9. These are the Choices

Why weren't they back yet?

Candace paced back and forth in Perry's lair underneath the house where the family had taken cover. The plan was to get in, get Phineas, and get out. That was the only mission. They should've been back by now.

She bit her lip, wondering if she'd made a mistake by coming back here to protect Ferb. Had she abandoned Phineas? She knew Perry would die to protect them, heck, he'd more than proved it. But that loyalty also clouded his judgment. She stopped pacing, picking up a picture of the family from way back, before the takeover. Young Phineas and Ferb were cuddling the tiny platypup, and she was sitting on the couch, writing in a pink diary.

She wanted to scream at them to prepare. If she could hop back in time and demand that her younger self grow up right at that second, she would. And as for Perry…

She slammed the picture down, rubbing her temples. This had been a lousy plan. Doofenshmirtz had Phineas! He had the power to make Perry do _anything_. She wondered if he was being reprogrammed to fight them all, or if Doofenshmirtz was even going to let him live.

And Phineas was right there. The evil dictator was probably making him watch. She didn't shake the images away, but held onto them, punishing herself.

AJ was there, and she was a good soldier. She'd do anything for any one of them. But her days as top fighter in the Resistance had ended when Platyborg had caught up with her. She could hide her limp, for the most part, but her ankle had been forever ruined, and popped out of place with very little help. She'd fight to her last breath, but if they were up against more animal agents turned cyborgs? It wouldn't take very long. Besides, she had the same weakness as Perry.

And here she was, still standing here in the lair instead of heading out. Why? Because they were right. If she went after them, then Ferb would be left to take charge. He'd be captured too, and maybe turned into a boy-borg for real this time.

A hand pressed over hers. "Candace, why aren't we rescuing them?"

The normally calm face was pinched with worry. In his other hand, he held the tracking device that showed Perry's tracking device. If Doofenshmritz had been cocky enough to take them back to his hideout, they knew where that was now.

For all the good it did them. "I'm going to give them more time." Not much more.

"But what if it's too late?"

She turned away, trying to shut out the images that she deserved to see, but couldn't bear. Had Phineas even still been alive when AJ and Perry turned themselves in? Were they now?

"We'll get them back."

He sighed. "Candace, things are different now. Phineas is my little brother, too, and you need to let me help."

Her phone beeped, a text alert, telling her that Doofenhsmirtz was in contact again. She grabbed her phone. As much s she didn't want to see an announcement that they'd all been executed, she needed to know if they were alright.

'Change of plans. I'm going to need the bowstaff girl and the one liner kid to turn themselves in before anyone gets released.'

She scanned the text again, wishing there was _some_ sort of guarantee that they were even breathing.

Ferb managed to read the text. "Give them time. Perhaps they just haven't been able to find Phineas yet. We both know Perry wouldn't leave with out him."

"But how hard could it be to find him? I don't like this. They've got one more hour, and then I'm going in after them. If Doofenhsmritz catches me, I'll pretend I was coming ot turn myself in."

"And let him know that we know where he is. Candace, the best thing to do is to sit tight."

Maybe. But why was this taking so long?

* * *

This was taking too long. Perry paced the cell restlessly while Annie and Phineas slept, still curled up in the corner. They both looked so peaceful, it was killing him. His boy wasn't afraid to sleep, here, in Doofenshmritz's prison, because of the misplaced trust he had in his pet.

Not misplaced because he wouldn't do _anything_ for him, but because wasn't sure if that would ever be enough.

Annie didn't look concerned either; in her sleep, he face had lost that look of shared responsibility, letting it rest entirely on his shoulders.

A well oiled door slid open, and Doofenhsmirtz crept into the room, eying the pair in the corner, then turning his attention to him.

He clenched his fists as he stepped in front of them. _I won't need my weapons if you try to lay a hand on them._

The evil dictator chuckled softly, keeping his voice low. "What's the matter, Platyborg? Don't _trust_ me?"

He tried to deepen his scowl, even though he wasn't sure it was possible.

The man unlocked the cell, and opened in, beckoning him forward. "Let's have a little chat while your friends sleep, hmm? I'll assure their safety until you get back."

 _Like you promised you'd let Phin go?_

"You don't have to come, of course. I could have a talk with your mouthy little partner instead."

He took a menacing step forward, torn. He knew he had to be the one to go with Doofenhsmirtz, but did he have to leave them both there defenseless? He didn't know what the man was asking him to do, and he was fairly certain he didn't want a clarification. He drooped his shoulders, and lowered his head in defeat, letting his tail drop at the same time. Metal clanged against the concrete floor, softly enough to leave room for doubt as to whether is had been intentional or not.

Phineas fidgeted, but Annie's eyes popped open. Instantly, that on guard look was back as she was what was going on.

TO his relief, Doofenshmirtz didn't sound angry. "Go back to sleep. We're just going up to my office for a chat. Maybe a cup of coffee."

He shot her a look. _Protect Phineas. Get him out if you can._

She looked torn, but settled for nodding. She didn't move as he stepped out of the cell, but as he followed Doofenshmirtz to the door, she jumped up, and raced to the bars, clutching them. "Doofenshmirtz?"

His gaze darted between them as the man in front of him turned with an almost amused smile.

She didn't look like she knew what to say. "Please… don't hurt him."

Doofenhsmirtz chuckle was decidedly more evil this time, and to his horror, he walked back over to the cell. "I'm not sure you understand your situation. You are my _prisoners._ I can do whatever I want to any of you. What gives you the right to ask for _anything_?"

"We saved your life."

Doofenshmritz actually took a step back. "Good guys are allowed to call in favors all of a sudden? Well guess what? Evil people don't pay up."

"I just wanted to be sure you remembered, because, for a second there, while you were on that operating table, I thought you had a shred of decency left in you."

"Is insulting me really a smart move there?"

"It's a warning. And I don't mean a think long and hard before you hurt him again, because that regret you admitted you feel is only going to get worse."

He turned away from the cell, an unreadable look on his face. "I ought to do some experimenting on him for that."

As he reached for the handle on the cell door, he paused. "But I wont."

There was something sincere in the dictator's voice that gave him hope. He shot a last look at the cell, watching Annie nearly collapse in relief out of the corner of his eye. His focus was on Phineas, just in case Doofenshrmtiz was lying. He soaked in every detail of the sleeping face, then turned and walked out the door.

Doofenshmritz shut it behind him softly, but he felt the steel separating him from his boy with every fiber of his being.

Only then did he let himself wonder if he was going to his doom.

—

* * *

 **A/N: So that's the next chapter, such as it is.**

 **Doof: "Wow. This is going to get worse before it gets better, isn't it?"**

 **Things generally do, but that's all I'm going to say.**

 **Thanks for reading everyone, and thanks for the reviews I've gotten so far!**


	10. An Offer

He was scared that this was just some ruse to get him out of that cell, and leave Phineas and Annie defenseless. He was scared that Candace was going to snap, and try something stupid. He was scared that Ferb was going to get caught in the crossfire, too. And while those were his biggest fears, yes, he was scared for himself right now, too.

He tried to swallow it as it mixed with shame. How _dare_ he?

Doofenshmritz didn't say a word as he opened the door to his office, went to his chair, and stretched out, propping his feet on the desk. He spread his hand out, indicating that he was free to take the stool on the other side of the desk.

He climbed up onto it, and sat there, rigidly.

Doofenshmritz stroked his chin for a long moment, then suddenly sprang to his feet.

He tried not to jump at the sudden movement, but he knew he flinched as the man came at him with a screwdriver.

"First things first, I've just got to check and make sure those weapons are still deactivated. I wouldn't want to get careless, and assume the resistance hasn't developed some sort of nanobot technology. Still offline? Good."

He waited for the man to give the wires a cruel tug, but he just put the panel back on, and screwed it down, then sauntered back to the chair. This time, he leaned forward. "You're wondering why you're here. Well, I'm wondering what I'm going to do with you. You, are an enigma, Perry the platyborg."

He blinked, wondering if Doofenshmritz had ever called him that. It was as close to acknowledging that he was still Perry as he'd ever come. It did very little to quell the uneasy feeling in his chest.

"I could reprogram you. That would be the smartest thing to do. But, I've just done that to death, don't you think?"

He pulled two cups of coffee from under the desk, and handed one over. He stirred his and sipped it thoughtfully. "If I'm not going to wipe your mind, then I really ought to get rid of you, but that didn't work so well last time. Don't think I wont in a heartbeat, but if you're being good, it'd really be a shame to shut you down permanently."

His mouth was dry, and his stomach turned, listening to Doofenshmritz calmly sort through his options like he was nothing more than a computer to be turned off. Suddenly, the man's eye settled on the cup in front if him.

The coffee was probably poisoned, but if there was a chance he could help Phineas…

"Oh. Here." Doofenshmritz tapped a button on his desk and a scanner popped up. "I installed this to test my food. So many enemies, you know. Isn't the office nice? It's an exact replica of the one in my old building. I thought that was a nice gesture from Charline, don't you?"

He wouldn't growl at the mention of that woman. The scan finished, and declared the beverage in front of him to be pure coffee and water. The dictator was watching him, so he took a sip, and swallowed the bitter beverage, surprised to find how used to cream and sugar Annie had gotten him.

Doofenshmirtz seemed appeased by his willingness to drink the beverage. "So, tell me, Perry the platyborg. Whatever should I do with you?"

How was he supposed to answer that? Literally?

The man nodded. "So you see my dilemma. You know the worst part? I want to use those two as hostages against you in the _worst_ way. It'd be so easy. I wouldn't need the mind control, and you'd still have to do my bidding, knowing who you were the whole time. But I'm smarter that the Regurgitator, the back-shooting jerk. I know they'd get loose, or I'd ask you to do something so terrible, you'd have to let me kill them."

 _Please go back to talking about disposing of me!_

"So that's not an option. I'm not interested in seeing how evil that sort of thing would make you. But there is another option. I'm going soft, perhaps, but it's so delicious… that's why I brought you up here."

He refused to let his gaze waver. _Just spit it out, you sadistic freak._

The man smiled an evil grin, lowering his voice. "I'm going to let your friends go, and I'm going to guarantee that, wherever your family is, they won't be harmed."

 _What?!_ He blinked, despite himself. _What's the catch?_

Doofenshmirtz let out a delighted cackle. " _ **But**_ … you have to swear to me, on your honor, that you will do _anything_ I say."

It was an uncomfortable position, sure, but did this creep honestly think his honor was more important than his family? He could make a deal like that, and all he'd have to do if things got bad was break his word to the evil dictator, and save the day…

"I'd put fail-safes in place, of course. And you couldn't know them. Nothing that would endanger your friends, _if_ you continue to follow my orders."

 _Drat. That complicates things. Still…_ Wasn't it worth it? He could continue on, alone, while Phineas and Annie were free… He leveled a look at the dictator.

The man shrugged. "Quite simply, I'm trying to buy you, Perry the platyborg, and I only know of one thing I have that's valuable enough to make you consider it. You come back, and be my general again, instead of that bumbling Pandonic, and your family will be safe, and secure, and free to live their lives however they want. You could even see them every now and again. They would lose those privileges if you ever turn on me, and I would know that if I ever broke my word to you, all bets would be off."

Doofenshmirtz swigged the rest of his coffee, and threw the cup. It shattered behind him. "I'd ask if you'll consider this, but of course you're going to. I'm going to take you back to your cell now, and gie you some space to think it over. If you decide to join me, we can send your friends back to your family with their pardon papers. If not…" the man paused for a moment, "then I'm back to square one. I'll have to figure out what else to do with you." He shrugged. "Think about it."

They walked to the cell in silence, each step making his stomach churn more. He'd like to have blamed the coffee, but he knew better. _Am I really going sell out the Tri-State-Area? Monogram?_ For his family. Guaranteed safety, for as long as he could stand to bow and scrape to the man who had turned the dimension into this mess in the first place.

He tried to hide the tremble as he was led through the prison door, back to the cell. Phineas was awake, looking terrified. Doofenshmirtz just locked him back in, and left. He walked to Phineas, and hugged his boy. A reassuring chatter wedged in his throat, and he couldn't force it out.

Annie watched from the corner of the cell, giving him a look that told him she knew something was wrong. _Please don't say anything in front of Phin!_

She nodded, silently, and turned towards the outer room to have a better view of the prison. And to hide her face.

He gave a sigh of relief as Phineas started to calm down. "I was afraid Doofenshmirtz was going to hurt you. He didn't hurt you, did he boy?"

He shook his head. He wasn't hurt.

But he wasn't so sure he hadn't just been defeated.

* * *

 **A/N: I hate myself so much right now, and I'm not even sure why. This wasn't as hard to write as THAT chapter in Platyborg's Agent Predicament, but still… it was a difficult.**

 **Doof: "So don't write stuff like that. I mean, c'mon! First you make us read that, then you complain about how horrible it was? YOU came up with it. YOU'RE the one who should have to deal with it.**

 **Anyway, it's quite the dilemma, and since the next chapter's not done, I'm still not sure how it's going to play out. The next scene might take over a bit, like the last one did, and change the whole direction of the story.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	11. Consideration

It felt like hours passed before Phineas fell asleep again. Annie made sure he was breathing heavily before she came over. "Are you okay?"

He nodded.

She sat down on the floor across from him. "He didn't hurt you?"

He shook his head, almost wishing he had. It would be less complicated that all this crap. _I wish I could tell you what was going on._

"What happened? You know you can tell me anything, right?"

He allowed himself a wry smile. _I know you'd let me, if I could speak._

"That's never stopped us before. C'mere."

He sighed, lifting his chin to look up at Phineas. His boy didn't move as he got to all fours, and waddled over to Annie. Instead of just resting his head on her knee, he crawled into her lap, letting her hug him, tightly. "What's wrong, Puddin'?"

It was back to the nickname again. He noted sadly that this time, it just reminded him that she'd been holding back. Hiding her pain to protect him.

 _I don't know what to do._

"What's he done now? You're all worked up."

He wasn't sure he actually _wanted_ to tell her. But he needed advice. And since he couldn't tell his family… he'd need her on his side, either way.

She'd like to be in a room with Doofenshmritz for five minutes. She didn't care if it killed her, or w _hat_ she did to the man. No, he hadn't hurt Perry, physically. He'd left him an emotional wreck.

The semi-metallic platypus nuzzled her cheek, then climbed out of her lap, looking like she would hate him after he told her what was wrong.

He looked mournfully over at Phineas to make sure he was still asleep, then pressed a button. Apparently, Doofenshmritz hadn't considered his recording device to be a weapon.

If she'd been ready to beat up Doofenshmritz before, she could have strangled him by the time the fourth paragraph was out of his mouth.

About halfway through, Perry's hand had started to tremble, and she'd gathered him back into her arms.

He peered up at her when the recording ended.

"I don't know. Perry… I just don't know." They couldn't trust Doofenshmritz, but the man was right about knowing that if he went back on his word, he'd get it from the Platypus. What he couldn't know, is just how much the offer of protection for his family meant. But to serve Doofenshmirtz? The thought made _her_ sick. She didn't wonder that the platypus was clutching his stomach.

He was going to do it, she could tell. And she wasn't sure she should try to stop him.

"Perry, the plan. Let's just go."

He gave her a long look.

She sighed. "And Doofenshmritz would be after your family for revenge." Would it never end? She could tell his mind was made up, as much as he was trying to fight it.

"So how about this; we tell him to negotiate with Candace about where to pick Phineas up, and we _both_ stay."

He shook his head.

"You shouldn't have to do this alone.I won't let you." He kept shaking her head, and she was afraid she was going to burst into tears, something she'd promised herself never to let him see again. "I can't leave you here with that monster, Perry, please don't ask me to do that."

He gave her a long look, then reached out to wipe away the tear that was sliding down her face. Her heart broke as she realized that she'd do whatever he asked her to.

She knew their judgment was clouded.

She knew it was wrong to sell out to Doofeshmirtz. She knew it was a mistake, and it would only end up hurting them. She knew that Perry knew that even better than she did.

And she knew it didn't matter.

* * *

Doofenshmritz was _not_ nervous, or anxious, in any way. He was simply, curious, to see what Platyborg would choose. He hoped to badness that the platypus wouldn't refuse his offer, because then he'd have to think of a plan even more brilliant than this one, and he wasn't sure there was a plan out there better than this.

He didn't want to have to kill Platyborg. Bit if the platypus didn't give him a choice… well, he'd rather not be dragged off to jail with his family.

He sauntered into the cell block, and found the trio of prisoners awake this time. Platyborg was cuddled up next to the boy, and AJ was leaned up against the wall, her dislike of him gulfed into a new level of hate that was almost frightening.

He smiled. "Good morning. So, Platyborg, what have you decided. Are you going to be my general, or not?"

The boy leapt to his feet. "What?! No! Perry will _never_ serve you again He…"

The platypus stopped the boy with a gentle hand on his shoulder, then stepped forward with a nod.

Excellent.

"Really? Eh. I might have known you'd make the weak choice. You always do." His glee was too strong to convert completely into sarcasm, so he rubbed his hands together, hoping it wouldn't ruin the effect, but not really caring.

He opened the cell, and the platypus stepped out, then he slammed the cell shut.

Platyborg turned to stare at him in disbelief.

He bent over, just the tiniest bit. "I said I'll let them go, and I will. Very soon. Just as soon as I'm sure you're really going to keep your end of the bargain."

The boy clutched the bars, and AJ took him by the shoulders, and pulled him back. "Don't do it, Perry! Please! There's another way!"

His former former general shot a mournful look through the bars, but he wasn't going to let that dampen his spirits. "Come along, Platyborg. I'll show you around your new life."

Platyborg tore himself away from the cell, and took a step forward.

"Perry, wait! I know you're only doing this to save us. I don't understand why, but… whatever he's going to do to us, it's okay. Just let him. Get out of here. Please! You need to stop him!"

For a second, he was afraid the boy would convince Platyborg to do just that. But the apologetic chatter reassured him that he did, indeed, have his general back.

* * *

 **A/N: Poor Platyborg!He can't get a break!**

 **Doof: "Not with you writing his story, he can't."**

 **Be quiet.**

 **Doof: "What? You pretend to love him SOOO much, but then you put him through all this crap. Why? Who DOES that? Are you some type of evil dictator wanna be?"**

 **NO! I am a writer! I'm telling a story, and it's my job to try to tell it well. I can't help it that you're counterpart's such a jerk, so stop blaming me!**

 **Yeah, it's actually pretty much my fault, but as you can see, I'm in denial. (And to those of you who were getting concerned, no, I do not hear Doof in my head)**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Doof: "And by that, I'm pretty sure she means 'Thanks for reading her stories', and not just thanks for reading in general."**

 **Well, duh!**

 **Doof: "You should say that then. People will think you're just thanking them for not being illiterate!"**

 **Thanks for being awesome, and making it this far in this story! And, um, huge smiles for everyone who's read everything I ever posted! =D =D =D =D =D**

 **Doof: "Everyone saw those."**

 **No, just the awesome people. So be quiet! ; )**


	12. Trapped Again

This couldn't be happening, but it was. He swallowed, and reminded himself that anything he had to put up with was worth it, to keep his family safe.

It didn't help matters that Doofenshmirtz was practically giddy. "So, I'm going to need you to do more than just follow me out of a cell." He stopped, turning on his heals. "Raise your right hand."

What else could he do, but obey?

"Do you swear to me, on your honor, and your friends, that you will serve me, however I ask, until I release you from said service, or you die, in exchange for guaranteed safety and freedom for your family?"

He searched carefully for a loophole, then nodded, feeling like he'd just stabbed the resistance in the back. _They come first. They've always come first. I'll help you anyway I can, but I just don't have a choice right now._

The evil dictator studied him. "You don't look too happy."

He forced a smile that he knew couldn't reach his eye.

Doofenhsmirtz seemed pleased with the effort, if not the result, and the thought sickened him more. He let his shoulders sag as the man turned around, and led him to the office. "Alright. So for today, I want you to familiarize yourself with the floor plan. That shouldn't take long. I won't be activating your weapons for a while yet. Now then, to make good on part of my end of the bargain; who's your family?"

He scowled, and shook his head. _Selling them out isn't part of the deal._

The man rolled his eye. "How am I supposed to guarantee they won't get killed in the takeover, if I don't know which ones they are?"

 _Your problem._ Still, when he put it that way…

"Fine. I plan on releasing at least one of your little friends before things get messy anyway. Do they know you family? Answer me."

He nodded.

"Good. I'll let the brat go back and warn them to clear out, and send ID cards to let the Normbots know to leave them be. I could do better, and give them a luxurious house and anything their hearts desire, but that's on you. Now that that's out of the way…" he looked around like he wasn't sure what to say next. "Hmmm… well, since I'm being so nice for the moment, I guess it wouldn't hurt to make your first orders to take your little friends some food. I imagine they're getting hungry, and this way, you know it's not poisoned. You see? You get to visit them already. Go on. Report back here in, half an hour, and I expect you know know the floor plan by then."

He couldn't salute, he just couldn't. So he nodded, and walked away, hoping Doofenshmirtz hadn't noticed.

"Platyborg." The tone was decidedly less pleasant.

He cringed, and turned around.

The man was giving him a cold, calculating look, leaning on the desk. "Have you forgotten the proper way to respond to an order?"

His hand shot to his head, an action so mechanically involuntary that he forgot about the red metal baseball cap the boys had made for him. His head spun as he fought to hold the salute.

"Hmm… we'll have to take care of that little problem. As you were."

He turned, and left, reminding himself that Doofenhsmirtz would let Phineas go back to his family soon, and then they'd be safe.

* * *

The cell door opened, and Perry trudged in, head hung in shame. The change that had overtaken him in just a few minutes was alarming. He set a tray of food on the ground, and slid it under the door.

Phineas ignored it as much as she did. "Are you okay, boy?"

He nodded, looking at his young owner in misery.

She thought, for the first time, that perhaps taking Perry's memories during the takeover had been a kindness. She joined Phineas at th bars, and reached through to pet the other side of his face. "Hang in there."

He pointed to the door he'd come through.

"We understand you can't stay long."

Phineas sniffled. "Please, just, let us hook your weapons back up. You can blast through that wall, and we can all leave, together."

Perry smiled sadly, and reached through the bars to ruffle the boy's hair. He shot her a look that she could read only too clearly. "You do what you have to to keep them safe, and I'll do my part. I… I'm sorry."

He nodded, and shrugged, then let an apologetic glance fall to the tray.

Phineas answered that one. "It's fine, Perry. I'm hungry enough to eat anything."

"Don't you worry about us. You just focus on who you're really doing this for."

He met her look, and gratitude crept into his face. He gave one nod, saluted them, then walked away.

It killed her to keep smiling until the door shut.

She gave Phineas a hug, then handed him a bowl of oatmeal. "Here. We'd better eat before it gets cold."

She winced at her first bite. It was too thick, and undercooked. The poor little guy had never spent much time in a kitchen. Still, it eased the hunger pains in her stomach.

Phineas was hungrier than she was, and practically inhaled his bowl in a way that made her feel too guilty to take a second bite. "Here. I don't think I can finish mine."

Phineas didn't question her. "Thanks."

When he got tot he bottom of the bowl, his spoon clanged against metal. "AJ, look!"

She shushed him, and took the two thin strips of metal from his hands. It wasn't much to go on, so she figured it was just in case. "I guess we'd better keep sitting tight."

She wedged the strips that she was reasonably sure she could pick the locks with, between the cell bars and the floor. Just in case.

* * *

There. He was sure Annie would know to hang onto those lock-picks. Dooenshmirtz has said he was going to send one of them back, _that brat…_ his fur bristled at the memory of the words, but in the end, it amounted to the fact that Phineas was going home to his family, and AJ would be left a hostage for longer. He could live with that, especially if his friend had a way out of that cell if Doofenhsmirtz went back on his word. More than that… he didn't dare do.

He was afraid he was trapped in a stalemate that he'd never be able to break.

He sighed, braced himself, then stepped into Doofenhsmirtz office, and hoped the man wouldn't notice the way his hand trembled as he saluted him.

—_

 **A/N: Poor Perry! And that's all I have to say about it right now.**

 **As usual, thanks for reading everyone!**

 **Doof: "We're back to that again?"**

 **They know what I mean by it!**


	13. Mistaken Identity

Doofenshmirtz walked past the room where Platyborg was scrubbing down the floors quietly. It was only day one, and already his broken demeanor told him he'd made the right choice with this plan.

He smiled to himself. It was going so smoothly, he should have tried this before. Now, to make good on his end of the deal. No, he didn't have to, but he knew better than to push the platypus too far. He'd only serve him as long as he was protecting his family by doing so, that much was clear.

He danced into the cell block, and was met by two sets of glares. "Aw, don't look at me like that. You get to go home now!" He swiped out a folder. "I was able to get a number out of my general, so here are enough ID cards for his family. He trusts you enough to get them to them, so, I don't really care _what_ you do with them."

The girl got down on her knees. "It's going to be okay. Take the secret way back to the meeting place, and call you know who as soon as you get there."

He chuckled. "The kid's not going anywhere."

"But, you just said…"

"I' talking to _you_."

She shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere without him."

He sighed. "Well, that's a problem. You see,part of my deal with Platyborg is that one of you brings these tags to his family. Without them, They're going to be slaughtered with anyone else wh oputs up a fight when the robots start the takeover process."

"So send him. What's the big deal? I'm the one you should want locked up."

He nodded. "Yeah, but he's not leaving. So, here are you options. You go save Platyborg's family, or…" he whipped out a gun, and pressed it to the boy's forehead for a split second before she yanked him back, standing in front of him.

He yawned, and snapped his fingers. Two Normbots flew in, and grabbed her, pulling her away from the boy. "I just want to keep him locked up a few extra days as insurance. You'd do, but you're an agent. I need some extra leverage. Innocent kids work better. If Platyborg behaves, he'll be joining you soon. But if you don't go right now…" he sighed, shaking his head. "I'm going to have to kill him, AJ. And then I'm going to have to kill you. And without leverage, I'm going to have to reprogram Platyborg, and have him hunt down this precious family of his, and torture them to death. Do you really want that?"

The boy backed aganst the cell, tears in his eyes. "Please go. You've got to save them."

He watched her search for another solution. "I'll send them the tags. We can give them a message, telling them where to pick them up. I'll explain things to Perry. I'll tell him I was the reason you couldn't keep your word. Please. I'll do whatever you want."

The words sounded sweet to his ears. But the last thing he wanted was two bitter agents following him around. "Thanks for the offer, but no deal.'

She stared at him in disbelief. "I may regret what I did to Platyborg, but I'm still evil. You wouldn't understand that." He gave her another minute. "Alright. Fine." He pointed the gun, and started to squeeze the trigger.

She shattered. "STOP! I'll go, I'll go… just, don't hurt him."

He smiled, cruelly, motioning for the Norm bots to release her. The boy raced to her arms. "I am so, so sorry, Phineas."

"Don't worry. Perry will take care of me."

Such stupid, blind faith. Platyborg couldn't help him now. He was sure the general would forgive him for what he had to do to the three kids. After all, it was them, or his family.

He clapped a device on AJ's shoulder, thrust the folder at her, then stepped back as she vanished.

The boy bit his lip as he realized he was alone in the cell again. Almost. He cast a wary glance at the gun.

Oh, wouldn't that be delicious. "What an idea… I could just tell Platyborg I sent you both on your merry way…" But no. He needed the boy a little longer. He needed to lure his siblings here, too.

He left the boy cowering the cell, and went back to find Platyborg finishing the floor.

"Hmm, I can see my reflection. Give it another waxing, and we'll call it a day." He started to leave. "Oh, by the way. Since you've been such a good little stooge, I just sent your little friend off to find your family."

A real, genuine smile appeared. He didn't know why he felt the need to wipe it off. "It was pathetic how fast she abandoned the kid in the cell. Oh well. Not all good guys are cut from the same cloth, I guess."

That worked wonders. Maybe too well… His general stared at him in horror as his words sank in. "He's _fine_. You can go check on him as soon as you've finished here." He turned, and stormed out.

—

Doofenshmritz made him wax the massive floor two more times, seeming to enjoy the sound of his heart crunching under the sole of his boot, before finally releasing him for the night, with strict orders not to linger in the cell block too long. It didn't take him long to get there.

Sure enough, it was Phineas, alone in the cell again, trying to huddle in the corner. He chattered softly, and his boy looked up. "Perry!" He jumped up, and raced to the bars.

 _I'm sorry._ He handed him the blanket Doofenshmirtz had given him. He could only hope the one eyed man wouldn't find out, or, at the very least, wouldn't be mad. Then he slid the boys supper under the door.

"Thanks boy." Phineas took the blanket, and held it too himself. The cells were deep underground, at it was already cold.

Perry reached through the bars, and opened the blanket to drape it over his shoulders. This wasn't right. He shouldn't be on this side of the bars. How could he leave Phineas here alone all night?

"It's okay, Perry. Doofenshmirtz didn't give AJ a choice. He made her leave, and I know you don't have a choice either. I… I love you."

The words broke his heart. He hid his face by pulling the boy into a hug as a tear slid down his bill. _Don't you give up hope, Phin._ He pressed the recording of Doofenshmirtz voice, skipping to the part where he promised to let them _both_ go. _Just a little while longer._

Phineas nodded sullenly. "Right. We're going to be fine."

He had to go. Slowly, he backed away.

Phineas offered a brave smile, and started eating the pathetic fare of instant mashed potatoes, and canned tuna.

Another tear escaped as he shut the door.

_—

 **A/N: Thanks for reading.**


	14. Wild Card

Doofenshmirtz was happily dreaming about taking over the Tri-State-Area when a metal fist grabbed his shirt collar. He opened his eye to find a _very_ angry Platyborg glaring down at him. He nearly wet himself, until he remembered that he had the semi-metallic platypus over a barrel. "And just _what_ do you think you're doing? Your family might be safe, but I still have that kid in the basement, you two timing little…"

An angry chatter cut him off, and the grip tightened.

He yawned. "Oh _that's_ what your angry about? Dumb move. The Normbot's have their orders. Anything happens to me, and he's toast. Just a little insurance. He can go home as soon as you prove I don't need it. Which is going to take considerably _longer_ now, so, let, me, go."

Slowly, the defeat crept back into the face, then Platyborg's head dropped as his metal hand snapped open.

He adjusted his collar. "Better." He frowned, wondering what was going on. "What's the deal with that kid, anyway? I would have thought you'd want to make sure your high and mighty resistance buddy was safe."

The platypus was hiding something. That much was clear in the look he shot at him. Fine. Let him keep his secrets about the kid. It would be useful until it was time to dispose of the little pests.

He rolled over, burrowing under his blanket, knowing full well that Platyborg would just leave.

_—

He just left. What choice did he have? Doofenshmirtz didn't realize that he had one of his family members in that cell, and he shuddered to think of what he'd do with that sort of knowledge. For now,Phineas was… who was he kidding? None of them were safe. He didn't even know if Doofenshmirtz was lying about letting Annie go. For all he knew, he'd killed her, and lied about sending her back to the rest of his family with those protection ID's.

He curled up as much as he could, shivering against the cold floor without a blanket. He just wanted to cry himself to sleep, but he couldn't even do that. Not when there was a chance Doofenshmirtz might see.

—_

"WHAT!?" AJ didn't even resist as she knocked her against the wall, and pinned her there with her bowstaff. "What do you _mean_ he's still back there!? What happened to the plan!?"

The older girl had already explained, but she couldn't have heard right, could she? A single tear sliding down AJ's face confirmed that she _had._

Suddenly, Ferb's arm was on hers. "Candace, she's not our enemy."

What? Oh, right. She muttered a halfhearted, "Sorry," under hear breath, and stepped back.

"No. _I'm_ sorry. We went in there to save Phineas, and we waisted our brief window."

She tightened her grip on the staff. "What, exactly, was _more_ important than Phineas?"

"Nothing."

Ferb spoke up again. "They wanted to make sure everyone was safe, Candace. You probably would have risked it, too."

"So what do we do now? I can turn myself in, and…"

AJ shoved an ID card at her. " _You_ are going to keep your head down. Phineas still has Perry."

"Yeah, who's working for Doofenshmirtz!"

Something snapped briefly behind the older girl's eyes. It looked an awful lot like a warning from someone who'd probably never make good on such threats. "He didn't have a _choice_ , Candace. You know perfectly well that if he'd given you the same offer, you'd be back there at his beck and call, too. Now, we need to get them out of there."

"Alright, so Doofenshmritz loses control over Perry if he lays a hand on any of us, right? So, it's simple. I turn myself in, for Phineas like he wants, and if he doesn't let Phin go, Perry will be free to break his word. Getting in should be a cinch with these pass cards."

AJ glanced down, then confusion furrowed her brow. "There are six here. Why did Perry risk making him give out an extra one?"

Why indeed? Was their pet trying to tell them something? Was there someone who could help get them out of this mess?

Ferb picked up the sixth card, and handed it to AJ. "You're family, too."

She realized she'd been a little calloused when she realized the girl hadn't even considered that possibility. Their eyes met. "We're going to get them back, AJ. Let's scan these cards to make sure they're not just trackers, and then we'll work together on a plan."

_—

 **A/N: Sorry this one's a bit short. Thanks for reading!**


	15. Familly Matters

"Get up!" She didn't really have any choice but to obey. Even if Candace hadn't been pulling her from her bed, the girl's frantic voice would have gotten her moving of her own accord.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"Ferb's gone. And he left his tracker on his nightstand."

No wonder she was panicking. "I think we both know where he was headed, anyway."

She nodded.

"We'd better catch up to him."

_—

All through the planning process, Ferb had seen one constant flaw. Candace and AJ were willing to do anything to get Phineas out of there… anything but put _him_ in harm's way.

Yes, AJ going back in and confronting Doofenhsmirtz, telling him she'd handed out the ID cards and working out a trade was one plan… but the one eyed dictator had already said he wanted a young boy as a hostage. Insisted on it.

So he'd sent out a quick offer to Doofenshmirtz. It made him a little mad how nonchalantly it was accepted, but what mattered was that the trade would take place.

Of course his sister couldn't contemplate the wisdom in trading one brother for the other, but he was just as certain they'd get him out eventually, as he was that they'd rescue Phineas. He was just also sure that he was better suited to being locked in a prison cell than his brother.

Once their second dimensional counterparts had opened Phineas's eyes to summer, it had been obvious that he could never go back to living the trapped, secluded life he'd always known.

No. It was better this way. Candace was going to be furious, but after all…

Phineas was his little brother, too.

_—

 _I hate this… no, I can't think like that. It doesn't matter…_ Perry drew himself up straighter, hoping Doofenshmirtz hadn't noticed the slump in his shoulders. He knew why his orders were to stand here, in this spot, and it had nothing to do with handing Doofenhsmirtz his napkin, and everything to do with crushing his spirit.

Didn't the dictator realize that that couldn't be done without breaking their deal? _He's_ _not_ _a dictator anymore, and he won't be. Stop thinking like he's already taken over again. He's just got me back, that's it. And that's all he's getting._

The man held his hand out, and he solemnly stepped forward and handed him his napkin.

Doofenhsmitz turned as he wiped his mouth. Eye gleaming as he looked at his shiny trophy. _He's always wanted me to serve him willingly. DIf he doesn't realize I'm just as trapped now as I was before, he's a bigger idiot than his dimensional counterpart._ He was very careful not to let that thought show on his face. _Stop it! That's too dangerous a game to play, with Phineas in that cell._

The man tossed the napkin, and he went to pick it up.

There was a cackle from the desk. "I guess now _you're_ my Platyborg-Retrieve-Inator."

He resisted the urge to roll his eye at the bad taste of the joke, and just gave him a puzzled look. _Why are you so happy?_

It had nothing to do with getting his general back. _Plans to take over? Great…_

Doofenhsmirtz offered no explanation for why he was rubbing his hands together. "Alright, Platyborg. You may go give the prisoner his breakfast. Report right back here. I have several little things I need taken care of. They ought to take care of the rest of your day.

 _With any luck, they'll require me to be far away from_ _you_ _._

—_

Ferb was so worried about his brother, he didn't realize his mistake until he stepped into the clearing where the trade was supposed to go down. He stood stalk still as the panda came up to him, and tapped something into a keypad on his bionic arm.

Suddenly, he was looking at the panda through bars.

"Ferb!? What are you doing here?"

He turned, and made sure his brother was alright. The younger boy looked anything but happy, but he was curled up in a blanket, and he was eating some Macaroni and cheese that looked slightly undercooked. He would have smiled at the visual reassurance that Perry would take care of them, if he wasn't so busy turning around and gripping the bars. "We had a deal!"

Doofenhsmirtz came in. "What a waste of your one line! Um, how do I put this… I'm breaking our deal. And you want to know the best part? I don't have to wait any longer for my revenge."

He took a step backwards. What had he done? This didn't make any sense… why would having both of them change anything?

Phineas was right behind him. "Revenge? What are you talking about?"

The man crossed his arms behind his back looking dark, and menacing. "I was just holding _him_ here until I could draw you and your annoying sister out of hiding. If it weren't for you meddling kids, I'd have Platyborg and an army of bionic animal agents. Now I'm going to have to take down O.W.C.A. again, and, oh right. _You._

_—

The moment of his revenge was at hand. He pointed to the green haired boy, and the Pandonic grabbed him through the bars, holding him back. "No! Stop!"

"Wow. Was that one more line, or two? Don't worry about breaking any records, kid. You're not going to have to say many more words. But right now, it's his turn. How 'bout it? Any last words?"

The redhead only seemed to have one, and he yelled it at the top of his lungs. "PERRY!"

He rolled his eye. "Well that was a waste. We're deep underground, in a thick walled cell-block, and Platyborg is cleaning the attic."

The green haired boy tossed _another_ line at him. "But you don't understand. You can't hurt us."

"I don't want to _hurt_ you. I just have to get rid of you. It's business. Sorry." Not that he really was. Yeah, murdering two kids was a new low for him, but what did he have left after Charline as thrown his Choo Choo? He pulled up his laser, and looked through the cross hairs. "Just hold still kid, this…"

Something clanged, and then Platyborg appeared in the cross hairs. Time froze. He'd have expected the cyborg to be glaring at him with unleashed fury. Instead… he lowered the weapon, and stared at his general over it.

The platypus's expression was, _pleading._ It didn't make sense. Even without his weapons, the little cyborg could still pack a punch. What instinct had made him pull this instead? Whatever it was, it was unnerving, he knew that much. He'd never looked at him that way before, and they'd had had some moments where Platyborg had tried to plead his way out of a bad situation. Perry, too.

He jerk the pistol to the side. "Yeah, I lied. Sorry. But if you want to keep your family safe, you'll get out of the way. Sorry, its these kids, or them. Make your choice."

The one liner boy spoke again. "We _are_ his family."

The red head was standing right behind his general now. He put a hand on Platyborg's shoulder, and stared at him defiantly. "So you need to make a choice. You can have your revenge, or you can keep on pretending you own Perry. But you should know something. Either way, you're going to _lose._

— ___

 **A/N: Well, that didn't help the tension any.**

 **Doof: You're not ending it** _ **there?**_ **This is a joke right?"**

 **It's not the end of the story…**

 **Doof: "Well duh! Nobody's** _ **that**_ **evil! But that can't be the end of the chapter! I want to see what happens next."**

 **It's normally called a page turning, but right now, it's a cliff hanger. So, well, sorry if you guys are reading this before I post the next chapter. If not, well, you can keep reading if you want to!**

 **Doof: "That's not fair! How is that fair?"**

 **Oh, and, and if you happen to read this on the day I posted it, Happy New Year's Eve!"**

 **Doof: "Don't worry. She's sure to update** _ **sometime**_ **next year! Bwahahahaha!"**

 **Wow. That's just… that is** _ **not**_ **your evil laugh at all, is it? Don't do that again.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	16. Stalemate

His heart had never beat so fast. He still wasn't sure why he'd chosen this course of action. If it had just been Doofenshmirtz in the room, he probably would have tackled him to the ground, but he'd only had a split second to realize what was going on after racing down here from the attic, and Peter had Ferb…

It didn't really matter. He was here now, standing in front of Phineas, and Doofenshmirtz was holding the gun. He didn't know which was stronger in his nemesis, the need for revenge, or the need to control him.

He knew it was showing weakness, but he was very, very weak right now. He clasped his hands together, and dropped to his knees, _begging_ Doofenshmritz to just put the gun away.

 _You've got me. You don't need to hurt them, please…_

He didn't know if seconds, or hours passed while the man studied him coldly. If he decided to just finish them all off… he felt his hands shake. If he shot the boys, nothing after that would matter. His life would be over anyway. But the thought of them never seeing the outside of this cell, never getting to grow up… his heart couldn't take it.

 _Please…_

Doofenhsmirtz sighed.

And lowered the gun.

"This is your family. Well that just figures, doesn't it?" He slammed his fist into the wall, then scowled at the boys. "Pandonic, take them home."

 _Home?!_ He looked over his shoulder as Phineas panicked. "Wait!"

Peter shrugged, and tapped the coordinates in, then vanished from the cell block, with Phineas and Ferb.

He stared at the places they'd been standing, and a tear finally broke loose.

"Oh, cut it out." Doofenshmirtz's condescending tone swept over him, but he barely heard it. "We have a deal. You do _whatever_ I say, and your precious family can live. Soon as I take over, I'll arrange some nice living quarters for them. You can check the place over to make sure it's not a trap and all that malarkey. But since you failed to tell me just who your annoying little family was, I'm revoking your visiting rights. They live in peace, you serve me, and never see them again. Deal? Cause I can just bring 'em back here…"

He nodded, quickly. As long as they were safe, and Doofenhmsirtz would have to prove that they were, he could live with any conditions… even those.

Doofenshmirtz's voice was dry. "Peachy. Now, let's get you in contact with your little resistance friend, and explain to her that their part in this is over."

He pulled himself to his feet, and followed the dictator out of the room. He hadn't taken over the Tri-State-Area yet, but, as far as he and his family were concerned, he'd already won.

_—

AJ's watch beeped, and a chatter followed. A tired, broken chatter that froze her in her tracks. "Perry?"

Doofenhsmritz was standing right beside him on screen. "It's general Platyborg, and you'll address him as such. So, I was looking through some records, and it appears that the Flynn-Fletcher family as practically adopted you into their little clan of misfits. Congratulations."

She motioned for Candace to stay off screen.

"Platyborg here needs you to go back home now. You'll find both boys there, unharmed. If you want them to stay that way, you'll keep 'em there."

Perry shot him a look, but it broke, and he he turned back to the camera.

"Are you okay, Perry?"

Doofenshmirtz scowled. "His name is _Platyborg_! Say it! Right now, or the deal's off!"

She almost choked on the words. "Are you okay, General Platyborg?"

He gave a solemn nod, but it was a rhetorical question. She knew he was anything but okay.

"His condition no longer concerns you. Are you going back to the house?"

"Yes. And you'd better be telling the truth."

He cackled. "I'll get revenge on those brats by taking over the Tri-State-Area again. They can live with the knowledge that their precious little pet would have never helped me do it if it wasn't for them."

Perry hung his head in shame, and there was nothing she could say.

The got back to the house, where Peter was holding both boys.

Candace couldn't keep silent any longer. "Phineas, Ferb!" She raced forward, and the panda released them.

"Show him they're still alive."

She obeyed silently.

"Pandonic, get back here." Peter typed something in his panel, and vanished.

"Okay, that's enough, turn the camera back around."

When she did, Perry looked like his heart was shattering. "Now, you need to keep your ID cards on you, and stay in the house. I can only protect you if you're not stupid, and there's no sense in grieving anyone, now is there?"

Perry looked like he was fighting back tears. He knew what was coming next and he was helpless. She could offer only one consolation. "I'll make sure they understand, and I'll do everything I can to keep them out of your way."

"I'm sure Platyborg appreciates that more than I do. I'll send someone along in a few days to move you to better living quarters. You'll want for nothing so long as Platyborg keeps his end of the bargain and you're not stupid, blah, blah, blah, I'd say that covers it."

The connection cut short, and she wiped away an angry tear of her own. He could have at least let Perry say goodbye to his family.

"So when are we going after him?" Phineas stared at Candace in shock as she put her sunglasses back on. When his sister didn't answer, he turned to her. "AJ…"

"Let's get inside."

"No! We can't let this happen! What about all the other people? Who's going to guarantee _their_ safety?"

She stooped down. "The only thing making this bearable for Perry right now, is knowing that you guys are safe. If there's a way we can fight back without endangering you, we'll find it, and we'll act on it, but for now, we're getting you down to his lair, and you're staying put."

Ferb put his hand on his brother's shoulder, and led him into the house.

Candace followed, then glanced back over her shoulder. "AJ…"

"I know. Perry's protecting me, too. But, even though it would hurt him to lose me, he'd still be able to bear it. They're right. We can't just let this happen. So you do what you do best, and protect your brothers."

"But…"

"Doofenshmirtz said he can't guarantee the safety of anyone who won't stay in that house. I won't be putting you in danger. Just me."

Candace nodded. "Check back in, when you can."

She saluted the girl, and headed for the O.W.C.A. as fast as she could. If Doofenshmirtz was playing a card like this, takeover wasn't just imminent, it had already started.

_—

 **A/N: So Phineas is finally out of there! Too bad that doesn't solve any of the other problems. But, I posted a lot sooner than I implied, so there you go.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Doof: "And hey, guys, if you can think of something to jot down real quick, reviews really make her day. Even negative ones. She's weird that way. She's all like, Yes! Now I can fix that, thank you! So weird."**

 **It's very helpful to know if I'm making mistakes, or the plot is getting out of hand, or I'm leaving someone out!**

 **Doof: "Oh I'm not saying you don't need the help. I'm saying that if people are nice enough not to critique you, you should really just quit while you're ahead!"**

 **:p**


	17. Attack

Perry stood at attention, with his arms folded behind his back, trying hard to keep the misery out of his face. The problem was, he couldn't imagine the boys playing happily at home and focus on Doofensmhirt's takeover plans at the same time.

"Now, I want you heading up the Alpha team. And don't think that means I'm going to be trusting you more than I should. I'm going to reactivate your weapons, but I'm making a few changes. In fact, I'd better do that right now. Get over here.

He followed him over to the operation table, and climbed up. "Good thing I made these up ahead of time, huh? You see, Platyborg, I'm going to be making a couple, _modifications._ " He paused dramatically, and leaned in to catch all of the horror.

But he wasn't feeling much of anything right now. _As long as the boys are safe, you can modify whatever you want._

"Huh. Well, anyway, I'm adding a failsafe. Shouldn't take long. In fact… no wait… there we go… I just need to make sure everything runs through… that…now then. Sit up."

He obeyed, curiosity getting the better of him. _What are you up to now?_

"Now… shoot me."

 _What?! As much as I'd like to…_

"General Platyborg, I just gave you an order."

 _Are you using this as an excuse to hurt the boys? Don't play mind games with me!_

"Your hesitation is flattering, but unappreciated. Shoot me!"

He took aim at Doof left arm, and tried to blast it. His weapons lost power before they started up.

"Surprise! I'm not hurt. Aren't ya happy? Now, I'm going to have to reset that, so lay back down… In case you're wondering, I'm carrying a card on me much like the ones I gave your precious family. It sends out a kill code to the circuit I installed. So if you try and take a shot at me, or my Normbots, I'll know about. And then we'll be talking consequences, understand?"

It wasn't like he'd have risked it anyway. He nodded.

"What a good little slave you are. You know, I'm almost sorry I even tried the mind control in the first place. Now then, get a move on. You have a Tri-State-Area to dominate for me."

He swallowed his disgust, and saluted.

—_

He flew over the city, a knot forming in his gut. It was the same old story. First take down him, then the O.W.C.A., then Doofenshmirtz was free to call the shots.

 _They trusted me…_ he shoved the thought aside, and reminded himself that Phineas and Ferb were at stake as he pressed his paw to the scanner.

It didn't work. He blinked in surprise, and then came to a sickening conclusion. They _must've told them._ He sighed. He'd been hoping he could do this without anyone getting hurt. _Why'd his family have to tip them off?_ Wasn't this hard enough without having to actually use the weapons he wished Doofenshmirtz had never reactivated?

He blasted the lock, and took the lead into the building. Several agent's charged from behind the locked door. He didn't know two of them. He hadn't been working with them long enough, before either takeover. Pinky, the dog from next door, he knew, but not all that well. He felt like he owed them all an apology anyway, but he'd given away the right to give them one.

He motioned for the Normbot's to stand down, and put his blaster away. He took down all three of them without using his weapons in a matter of seconds. As the Normbots took them away, he could only hope they were just taking them to the jail.

And then, he lost all control. The Norbot's streamed past him into the building, going after everything that moved.

He tried to stay ahead of them, tried to curb the damage… but he knew he wasn't really doing any good. Just when he thought he couldn't take anymore, he charged into a room, and froze.

 _No… you're not supposed to be here…_

Her shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry."

She was cornered. Two dismantled Normbot's lay at her feet, and he could tell from the way she was leaning on that chair that she'd thrown out her ankle again. _The one I'm responsible for…_

She wasn't moving. Wouldn't. Maybe couldn't at this point. _This wasn't part of the deal…_ but he still had a choice to make. He closed his eye tight as he pressed the button.

Doofenshmritz's voice filled the room. "Just surrender already."

"You know I can't." He opened his eye to find her shrugging. He swallowed hard, and nodded, walking slowly over to her.

"I'm really sorry."

 _You should be. You must've known this was going to happen. You said you'd protect them. What are you doing here?_

She leaned onto the chair more. This wasn't going to take long. He hoped he wouldn't have to hurt her, but he doubted she'd go down without some sort of a…

She shoved the chair at him. He dodged it, diving to the floor in shock at the sudden offense. It was just a diversion. He got to his feet just as she raced out the door, neither ankle looking the least bit hurt. He raced after her, but she'd vanished as soon as she hit the hallway.

He stood there for a second, looking both ways, and up, just in case. _She faked me out!_ He tried to remind himself he wasn't supposed to feel relieved, or proud. But Doofenshmirtz couldn't really blame him for that, could he?

One step around the hallway, and he didn't have to worry about it anymore. The Normbot's were cuffing Major Monogram. The man wasn't able to keep the disappointment out of his eyes, but it was the quiet, "I understand, Agent P," as he was led past, that cut into him,and drove home what he'd just done.

He pressed the button of his wrist, and Doofenshmirtz appeared on the holo-emitter the boys had made him.

He'd taken down the O.W.C.A.

Again.

—_

 **A/N: Now things are getting more serious. If things keep up like this, AJ and Perry really** _ **are**_ **going to have to fight.**

 **Doof: "No! You wouldn't do that!"**

 **You didn't read my other second dimension stories, did you.**

 **Doof: "Why?"**

… **Nothing…**

 **Doof: "Wait, what is this, a spoiler? Are you saying it's going to happen?"**

 **I'm just saying things look like they could head in that direction right now. Or a totally different direction. That's all.**

 **Doof: "Well that's not so helpful."**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	18. Deep Breath

The O.W.C.A. had fallen.

Again.

AJ curled a little tighter in the vent, hardly daring to breathe, knowing that Perry could find her if he really tried.

She understood what he was doing. She really did. But Doofenshmirtz hadn't slapped those restraints on her yet, so she had to fight. Didn't she? Could she?

It had been too close back there… if Perry hadn't been so distracted, she never would have gotten away. Even though she had, her actions here today would be eating away at him, just as much as his would.

She wiped angrily at the tear. It wasn't fair. How could Doofenshmirtz be winning again? She held her breath, and listened.

It was quiet. Yeah, it could be a trap. But she doubted the evil scientist would push his luck this early in the game. He knew that Perry had made the deal for her, too. That might offer her protection for a little longer.

She climbed down from the vent, and slowly made her way down the now empty hallways. Just a couple hours ago, they'd been starting to looked maintained again. Now… it was more of a mess than ever.

The smell of cooling metal caught her attention, and she gasped at the message burned into one of the walls. ' _Stand down, Annie. P_ '

The P could have easily stood for Perry. It could have been just as easily been mistaken for Platyborg. But she knew it was short for another word that he couldn't write out. She knew a heartfelt 'please' when she saw it.

_—

 **Doofenshmirtz's Secret Lair**

—_

Doofenshmirtz cackled as his general walked through the door. The part of him that missed the mind-controlled smirk of the old Platyborg, had to admit that watching this one defeat himself was just as good. Maybe even better, since he _knew_ that he was doing it this time.

"The whole cell-block's full. Not bad, for your first day back on the field. In fact, you've done so well, I went ahead and picked out a nice spot to relocate your family, too. It'll be quiet, and out of the way, and they won't have to listen to much of the takeover. I've got some Normbot's working on it, now, and they can move in as soon as you've checked it out."

As he expected, the news only dampened the platypus's spirits. "What's the matter? Not grateful?"

He watched his general salute him. Watched the hand fight the tremble, and the face fighting the ever growing disgust.

Letting the brats go had been hard, but a good call. If he still had them tucked away in the basement, he'd be fearing for his life right now. As long as he treated them like kings, his general would continue to force himself into this state of submission, and he didn't have a thing to worry about.

"You know what? Take the rest of the day off. We won't start partitioning off the town until tomorrow. You're dismissed, General Platyborg."

The hand lowered in a crisp salute, and Platyborg turned, and walked out. He listened to him walk down the hallway, and it sounded suspiciously like he was dragging his tail.

He grinned. The platypus would get over it. He'd made his choice.

—_

 **Flynn-Fletcher Residence**

_—

"He _what_?!"

"Candace, not so loud… you'll wake the boys."

She rubbed her face, and tried to collect herself. "Sorry. I just… wasn't expecting that. Not this fast. Were… were you there when it went down?"

AJ's silence answered for her.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Perry has to follow Doofenshmritz's orders, but he hasn't forgotten anything."

"I'm not so sure that's a good thing. For us, yeah, but for him?"

"I know."

She sighed, and leaned against her room wall. "With the O.W.C.A. down, they'll start taking over the city soon. Maybe even tonight. Everything's quiet here, so far. When are you coming back?"

"I'm not."

She sat up. "AJ…"

"It's too risky. I'm not going to give Doofenshmirtz an excuse to come after any of you. His sick, twisted mind will come to the conclusion that he really only needs one of you alive soon enough. All we can do is pray that he doesn't act on that."

"He'd have to know that Perry would…"

"Risk the sole surviving member of his family for revenge? Really? That's why I can't come back, and you can't leave."

"I can't just sit here."

"You have to. It could mean your brother's lives, Candace. Not to mention yours."

She slammed her head back against the wall. "I _hate_ this! I want it to just be over!"

"It probably will be, sooner than we think."

Most people called the older girl by her initials. She wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the edge the war had given her. Maybe the girl that had used the full name died a little more each time Doofenshmirtz pulled something. But at times like these, she missed that girl. "Annie, what if we could stop it, right now? We know where Doofenshmirtz is. We can probably get in with the key card. One bullet, and we'd never have to worry about him ever again."

The name had worked. The older girl's voice lost some of it's edge. "Maybe it'll come to that. But it's not there yet, and I for one hope it doesn't end up being my call."

"I'd feel better if you were back here. I'll do what I can to protect the boys, and Mom and Dad, but…"

"Don't forget that Perry's protecting them, too. Doofenhmirtz won't dare try and take over that part of the city with you guys there. One false move, and that little platypus will prove he was right to be scared of him all this time. Keep eachother safe, remember your training, and keep your head down."

"Watch yourself out there. Your list of allies is growing shorter by the second."

"Maybe." She let herself pretend that there was a hint of mystery in the girl's voice. It was nice to think that s _omeone_ had a plan. It made it easier to hunker down and bury her head in the sand while Doofenshmirtz plotted to take down the city again. As long as her brothers were safe at the end of it, she didn't care if she could live with herself; she'd keep going for them for as long as they needed her.

"Annie?"

There was no response this time.

"AJ?"

The older girl had signed out while she was musing. She thought about pulled her bed down and trying to get some sleep, then shook her head, and went out into the hallway, clutching her bowstaff.

She leaned up against Phineas and Ferb's door, and closed her eyes.

Without warning, the door opened. She fell on her back, and blinked up at Phineas. "We could hear your voice in the next room. Did you get in contact with someone, or were you just talking to yourself?"

She sat up. "AJ's fine, and no one's been killed." As far as they knew, anyway.

Phineas sighed in relief. "And I guess as long as we're okay, we know nothing's happened to Perry."

He turned before he could see how his words affected her. With all her complaints about the current situation, that had never occurred to her.

If something _did_ happen to Perry during the takeover, where did that leave them?

—_

 **A/N: Thanks to anyone who's reviewed. For some reason, it's showing that there are more reviews than I can see, so if I haven't replied, please bear with me. I do really appreciate each and every review, and I'm not trying to ignore anyone.**


	19. The Plunge

"And here, take this, too, General Platyborg."

It was getting to the point where ti was easier to think of himself as Platyborg again. _Its for the kids. Remember that._

He knew why they were suiting up for battle, and he knew why they were doing it in the dungeon, in front of the O.W.C.A. personnel. It was all about mind games, and severing old ties. Doofenshmirtz might not want to physically torture him anymore, but he was taking every opportunity to try to cause mental anguish.

Forcing him to arm himself for city takeover in front of the agents he'd been trying to protect it with just days ago _was_ hard. Monogram wouldn't even look at him. The others just shook their heads, like they never should have welcomed him back in the first place.

It wasn't hard to act like he didn't care. He was just happy that Doofenshmirtz hadn't even ordered him to interrogate any of them yet.

"Alright, General Platyborg. By the time we're done today, half the city will be back in our control. More than half if you don't hold back." The one eyed man led him from the cell block. "Oh, and just so you know, AJ saw your little warning. She's going to cut herself out of our deal if she doesn't heed it, and if she decides that she _isn't_ part of your family, there's nothing I can do for her. Or you. Is that going to be a problem?"

He owed it to Annie to be perfectly honest. He nodded.

"But are you going to let it become a bigger one?"

He hated himself for shaking his head, but he did it anyway. He didn't know why he'd been so sure Annie would just stay out of this, but he certainly wished he'd been right.

If it came down to her or the kids, well… he just wouldn't have a choice.

—_

 **The Tri-State-Area**

 **_—**

AJ stood tall, trying to look imposing. "Okay everyone, I know this doesn't look good, but we can't just roll over and surrender. No matter how good he makes it sound, it'll be back to Dooferalls, curfews, forced labor, and the Doofen channel."

She sighed as she realized that most of the people in the crowd were most convinced by the mention of the Doofen channel. Although, the fashionistas in the back seemed to think the Dooferalls were the worst case scenario. Did their freedom mean nothing to them?

"Give it up! He's already won! Just let us go home."

She could have used Candace's help for this part, but it was too late to think of such things now. "Really? You'd prefer to just, go home, and wait for a bunch of robots to come tell you what your name is? What you can do? When you can see your families? O.W.C.A. didn't go down without a fight, and they will not stop fighting. But they need our help. If they're going to have a chance, _someone_ has to give it to them. And we're the only ones here. Whatever brought you out here to help, hold onto that. Because, believe me, that will be in the thing Doofenshmirtz goes after."

"Why should we listen to you?"

"Were are the real leaders of the resistance?"

"I thought this was a line for a movie!"

A sharp voice snapped out orders from right behind her. "Alright men, shape up!"

She turned to find Isabella and the Firestorm girls handing out papers. "As long as everyone sticks to the plan, we're going to get through this, just fine. Gretchen, take over."

She was grateful for the help, but these children weren't the ones she;d intended to call to arms. "Isabella…"

"I know what you're going to say, and it's a shame. But we're not going to give up either."

"I just wish Danville would stop hiding behind you kids. You've done more than your part, and it's time for them to take charge."

She shrugged. "They wont. They're too afraid. We don't have all that much to lose. Not anymore."

"I'm so sorry about Pinky."

She turned her head, trying to hide the flash of pain across her face. "Yeah, well, at least he didn't go down without a fight."

The words hurt more than they should have. The girl wasn't saying anything that the rest of the Resistance wouldn't believe right now.

Isabella's eyes snapped with hurt and anger. "Don't look at me like that! He made his choice, and you obviously don't agree with it!"

She spoke quietly. "Doofenshmirtz would have gladly killed all three of those kids for what they 'did' to him. Yeah, Perry chose his family over everyone else. Do I agree with it? I honestly don't know."

"I'm sorry. I just…"

"We need to remember who our allies are, and you're right. Perry isn't on our side right now. I just…"

She smiled. "You don't want everyone to hate him for it?"

She couldn't reply because at that moment, she noticed something in the distance. It was a dark wall or robots headed straight for them. Leading the way, in the sky, was their little general. 'Alright people, we need to take cover, now! The people in charge of the traps we set out last night, stay put, and keep your heads down. Everyone else, move out!"

She led her group towards the oncoming attack, and it wasn't five minutes before the first shot was fired.

She signaled, and her groups quickly climbed out of the wet street as an electric cable was dropped, frying dozens of robots in an instant. A cheer went up, and she quickly silenced them. It wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot.

They;d only stopped the advancing troops that had _legs_. Almost instantly, the Normbots raced forward, heads changing to the more menacing form. Most of her group scurried away while she took aim.

—_

Everything was quiet, and then, all of a sudden, one of his alarms started flashing, and his bionic eye warned him that the advancing foot soldier had been destroyed. He did a quick flyby, but when he got the problem area, everyone had cleared out. None of the remaining robots were functioning properly, so he headed back to the rest of the troops.

One of them had separated from the main pack, and had just crashed through a wall. The little old lady inside the house, shrieked, then tried to stab the Normbot with her knitting needles.

Every single one of his instincts demanded that he go to her rescue… but he was supposed to be leading this attack…

He mentally pulled up an image of the boys, trying to ignore what was going on around him.

"Hang on!" Annie's voice snapped his attention back, but she wasn't talking to him. She flipped up onto the Normbot's back, and clicked a device on it that scrambled it's circuits, forcing it to drop the elderly woman.

He was supposed to be leading this attack.

As Annie helped the woman to her feet, the Normbot broke free, and slammed a fist into her, sending her flying against a wall.

 _Annie!_ He was supposed to be leading this attack…

She pulled out a blaster, and fired, hitting the center of the robot's helmet. She scrambled to her feet, and rushed back over the woman. She'd made it without his help, but now what? He was supposed to be…

' _Warning: Heavy fire detected at the town square. Attack force requires backup immediately.'_

He breathed a sigh of relief, and took off, heading for the heart of the battle. If Annie had any sense at all, she'd steer clear of that area.

—_

 **A/N: Thanks for reading!**


	20. Inner Battles

Perry had one, tiny scrap of influence, and even that was a risk. He was determined to make sure this attack had no casualties.

Doofenshmritz was evil, and he wasn't above executing prisoners, but he still might let him get away with a non lethal takeover, so long as he won. It would make it a lot simpler if everyone would stop fighting back, and just accept that Doofenshmirtz had won. As much as he hated himself for thinking it, it would save lives.

Another alarm in his system sounded, warning that he'd lost another group of Normbots. He growled in irritation. He could chance not killing anyone. But losing? What use would Doofenshmritz have for him if he lost? He couldn't afford to become disposable.

Annie had known he'd come up with half of their plans, and she'd changed them on him. Well, two could play at that game. He knew how _she_ thought, too.

He changed tactics, flying low, and fast, looking for the traps his troops were falling for, and dismantling them.

The resistance wasn't very large. As soon as he could get them gridlocked, he'd have them. Hopefully, they'd surrender.

—_

Isabella's voice crackled over the communication system. "We've got a problem, A.J., Platyborg's taking out all of our traps. What are we gonna do now?"

She rubbed her temples. The last thing she wanted was casualties in all of this. She knew Perry wouldn't go that far, unless he had to, but the robots… "We continue the evacuation. We're going to lose this part of the city, but let's make sure they don't get any prisoners out of it."

"Right, A.J., we'll continue with plan B."

She hadn't let on, but plan A had never had much chance for success anyway.

She sighed, then redoubled her efforts, trying to give the people a chance to evacuate. They'd let Doofenshmritz take over his precious Tri-Stare-Area, piece by piece, and leave, if that's what it took to stay free. And as soon as she came back for the Flynn-Fletchers and Perry, she'd like to see him try to s _tay_ in power.

—_

Something was wrong. They were gaining ground, and losing far less robots, but the houses were already empty. Great for his no casualty plan, but not so great for an aspiring dictator.

 _What's she up to now?_ He shook his head. Deep down, he'd known A.J. wouldn't just give in, but he'd _hoped…_ he didn't what he'd hoped anymore. Or if he even remembered correctly what hope was.

He spied a group of people fleeing the trap that was closing in around them. Before he had time to wonder what to do, a group of his Normbots cut them off. He swooped down, and quickly disarmed the refugees. One of the Fire Storm girls glared at him as the small group was led away. He had tool satisfaction in the capture, but fact that he'd managed the keep the struggle down to a minimum kept him from loathing himself entirely.

He drew back further into himself, basically operating on autopilot. He needed to forget that these were the people he'd once fought _for_. Now, the only people he was allowed to fight for, were his family.

—_

"This is _it_?! I send you out to take over the city, and you bring me a handful of prisoners?" Doofenshmirtz tapped his foot, glaring.

He'd tried, he really had. But the area had been too vast, and he hadn't counted on the Resistance fleeing like that. _Don't blame my family, please! I'll do better next time._

Doofenhsmritz rubbed his goatee, then shrugged. "Well, it's a start. You need to get your game on, but… I'm gonna let it slide for today. As long as you're doing your best… we'll stick to our little deal."

He leaned forward, a warning glint in his eye. "You _are_ trying your best, aren't you, Platyborg?"

He nodded quickly.

Someone from the cells yelled, "Traitor!"

He flinched a little. He didn't even recognize the voice, but the pain and anger still cut deeply. He couldn't look back as he followed Doofenshmirtz out.

What was he becoming?

—_

They'd taken a hit. The people who'd been counting on them had lost their homes and possessions, but more importantly, friends and neighbors, in the attack.

Isabella had reported that one of her girls had been among the captured. She'd been too upset to say which one, but Gretchen was notably absent from roll call.

Now the rest of them were all trying to find room to lie down in a too small abandoned warehouse that would have to be evacuated before they were found, again.

Moral could have been higher.

She was done with speeches and pep talks. She sat down in her allotted corner, and curled up as tightly as she could. She didn't dare contact the Flynn-Fletchers, so she could only hope they were still alright.

She knew Perry wasn't. If she heard _one_ more crack about him running to Doofenshmirtz… what could she do about even that? She pressed her hand to her face.

No.

She couldn't give up. Not now. There were still people counting on her. The people in this bunker. The people holed up in their houses. Her family. Every one of them needed her to remain strong, and confident. She had to go on pretending that Perry could walk around the corner, and see the look on her face at any moment. Because the harsh reality of it all was; he _could._

—_

 **A/N: I'm not entirely happy with how this turned out, but I'm still feeling things out. I couldn't seem to find a good POV to jump to for a good battle scene, so I stayed mostly in their heads, as usual. It's so much easier to just make Perry not remember who he is.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	21. Takedown

Doofenshmritz watched his general. The platypus stood at attention, the spike now added back to his tail, and the black 'helmet' in place of the baseball cap. The cowboy boot had been disposed of completely.

The most notable change, though, was the look on his face. He no longer looked like he might burst into tears at any moment. He had a ways to go before he looked like he had with his mind wiped, but he was getting there, slowly but surely. Each new order would break him a little more, until he'd learned to control his own thoughts.

He shoved away a feeling of guilt. He wasn't torturing the cyborg. He'd been very careful when he'd finished adding to his armor. So why did the ungrateful little twerp look like something inside him was slowly being crushed?

"Platyborg, go, feed the prisoners, or something."

His general saluted, and left to obey.

—_

 _ **The Resistance**_

Isabella poured over the plans beside her. "We went wrong here, sir. As you can see, the plan went bad here, and here. When we put it together, we didn't count on…"

"Perry." She sighed, shaking her head. "And we don't have time to come up with a completely new one now. We need to evacuate the rest of the city, and this is still our best option."

"But…"

"I know. Someone's going to need to distract him. Come on. We need to move out."

_—

 **Doofenshmirtz Evil Headquarters**

— **_**

There was a _lot_ more food to make now, and the prisoners were less forgiving than Phineas and Annie had been. Not that it mattered. His cooking skills were probably improving, but that wouldn't make a difference.

He brought the food into the cell and stopped. All the agents and civilians were hanging to the back of the cell Monogram was in. The major looked like he'd been waiting for him.

He slid the tray under the door, and looked questioningly at his former commanding officer.

"Hello, P."

He tried not to let the lack of title bother him. He'd given up being an agent the moment he'd decided to put his family first. He'd known that.

The man crouched down, speaking softly. "Look, I know you have your reasons. But I still have to ask you to remember who you are, and let us go."

He stared down at the ground, and shook his head.

"P, someone needs to stand up to Doofenshmirtz. You've got to understand that!"

 _I'm sorry. I can't help you.I work for Doofenshmirtz now._

He gave a hiss of exasperation as the hope drained from his face. " _Why_? What hold could this man possibly have over you after all he's done to you?"

He tried to give a dismissive chatter, but it sounded broken, even to him. Unable to stand the look on his former commander's face any longer, he turned, and went for the next tray.

"P, I… oh P…"

His wrist beeped and he pressed a button. Doofenshmritz appeared. "We just got an intelligence report about members of the resistance gathering in the south side. Get the troops, and take care of it, right now."

He saluted.

—_

 **The South Side**

_—

From what his scans were showing, it was the same situation as before. _Sloppy, Annie._ He swooped ahead of his ground troops, and blasted the cables meant to fry the robots. _Real sloppy._

A laser pinged off of that post beside him.

He spun, just able to make out a boot as it vanished around the corner. He ignored it, until a second shot rendered two of his Normbots inoperative. Now was as good a time as any to capture another Resistance fighter.

He flew around the corner, only to find that the shooter had retreated again. They were headed straight for the tunnels. It was a simple matter to cut them off. He jetted up ahead, and landed. A smug grin on his bill as his quarry raced around the corner, looking back over her shoulder.

The grin vanished as his blood froze. _Annie…_

Her eyes met him as she stopped, standing where she was. "Hey."

 _You lured me out here on purpose? Why… to let the others escape._ And knowing that, was reason enough to head back to his troops.

"I can't let you do that."

He rolled his eye. _We both know you can't shoot me._

Sure enough, she didn't reach for her blaster. She touched a button on her wrist… _Wait…_

"Now!"

Two motors started up, and a chain net spread over the top of the alley they were in, a small blast sealing the entrance to the tunnels at the same time. Now the only way out, was past Annie.

A warning light flashed in his cybernetic eye as he was warned that his troops were in trouble.

She stood at the ready, about ten feet away. "I'm so sorry."

He shrugged. Technically, she was more fighting for the resistance than directly against his family. But that didn't mean she hadn't forced him to fight her now.

He raced forward, trying to get the jump on her. She was ready for him, dodging as he swiped the spike on his tail under her. She'd put her gun away, and he wasn't planning on activating his. They were sparring, and yet, they weren't.

If she lost, he was going to have to take her in, and the part of him that suggested he should just let her win was instantly silenced by the knowledge of how defenseless that would leave his family.

His fist connected, knocking her back against the wall.

It was like the wind had been knocked out of his lungs, too, as she slid to one knee, wincing in pain. Her hand shot to her hip, and she whipped her blaster out, shooting over to the side.

 _Great._ His Normbot's had come to his assistance.

He stepped back, letting them surround her, until a bullet from one of their guns found her bad leg.

He reacted instantly, swooping over to break up the fight, shoving aside the Normbot that was pointing a gun at her head, even as he snatched her weapon.

He pressed the button on his chest. "Just surrender already!"

Weaponless, she slid back to the ground, clutching her leg. It wasn't really a surrender, but it was the best he would get. He cuffed her, and wrapped a tourniquet around her leg, forcing her to her feet.

He'd transport her back to her cell personally.

It was all he could do for her.

_—

 **A/N: Thanks for reading!**


	22. The Choice

The laser bolt hadn't caused much more than a scratch, but it was burning like crazy with each step. She realized vaguely at it had started raining at some point on the way back. Perry refused to look up at her as he marched her along, and she couldn't think of a word to say. She'd made his life so much more complicated by insisting on fighting back, and they both knew it.

He motioned for her to stop, and walked over to a pile of rubble that had once been a house. He rooted around for a few moments, then came back with a branch from the tree that had been knocked into it during the fighting. He uncuffed her hands from behind her back, and handed her the branch, cuffing her wrist to his instead.

Having some of the weight taken off of her leg for each step helped, and it brought a lump to her throat. "There's always hope."

He shook his head, clearly upset.

"They were safe, last I knew. I wanted to stay with them, I really did, but… I couldn't. I'm sorry." She fell silent again when he didn't even try to look at her. "It's not your fault."

At that, he made a noise, low in his throat, that sounded like a whine.

"Really, it isn't…" She trailed off as they got to the building, and two Normbots hovered up to them, Doofenshmirtz not far behind. "Ah ha! Excellent work, General Platyborg! This little trouble maker is done throwing wrenches into our plans. Get back to the battle. We'll take care of her."

As he removed the cuff from his wrist, his head tipped up to look at her, fear, and sadness, and uncertainty on his face.

She smiled at him as one of the robots grabbed her arm, and pulled her into the building, leaving Perry standing in the rain.

—_

He was no longer allowed contact with the prisoners. Due to the general destruction, and disarray, Doofenshmirtz had opted to keep his family at home, instead of transferring them to some mansion somewhere. That didn't mean he'd changed his mind about letting him see them.

It was days before he found out what had become of Annie, and only then because Doofenshmirtz summoned him to the torture room.

He found her, tied up, and gagged looking no worse for the wear than he'd last seen her. Doofenshmirtz paced the floor restlessly. "Ah, General Platyborg. Good timing. I'm going to assume that you're eager to start."

 _This wasn't part of the deal…_ But Annie had broken the deal when she'd gotten involved.

"See, this is where things get complicated. I promised you protection for your little family, and I was perfectly willing to include her, but we can't have people thinking that just because I'm buying your services with their protection they're free to oppose me, now can I? So, this is the best I can do. I'm not going to make you torture your little friend."

He tried not to show his relief.

Doofenshmirtz grinned evilly. "I'm just going to make you _shoot_ her."

 _No! I can't!_

"It's simple, really. You put a laser bolt in her leg, making sure she can't ever fight me again, and I'll let it go at that. It's her, or your family, Platyborg. You can't have both."

So he wasn't going to make him kill her, yet. But the thought of intentionally crippling her didn't have much more appeal. And still, he had no choice.

He was shaking, in front of Doofenhshmirtz's scrutiny, and he couldn't stop.

"So what's it going to be? Chop, chop!"

He switched his hand to the blaster as a tear streamed down his cheek. _I'm sorry._

"You know what, if you can't even follow a simple order like this in a timely fashion, maybe I don't need your services anymore anyway.

He couldn't even look her in the eye as he pointed the weapon. He couldn't bear to see any fear in her eyes, and he didn't deserve understanding or forgiveness for what he was about to do.

 _Phineas, Ferb, Candace…_ He fired, collapsing to the floor at the same time, grief knotting in his stomach.

Doofenshmritz cackled, but the spark in his arms hadn't been his weapon firing. He glanced down at his disabled hand, then up at Annie.

She was fine.

He turned to Doofenshmirtz, who waltzed up to the prisoner. "She wasn't wearing her I.D. card, so I took the liberty of slipping one into her pocket before calling you down here. Just a little test, you understand, to make sure you're _really_ on my side."

He opened the door, and snapped his fingers, calling a Normbot. "Get her back to her cell."

The dictator patted his shoulder as his friend was led away. "Good work. I was hoping you'd pass. Now go on ahead and get a meal for her. She won't eat what we've been providing, and I need my hostage alive."

He nodded, and headed for the kitchen, mind still reeling.

—_

He found Annie sitting on the floor of the cell. The other prisoners had been moved to a higher security section, and they were alone. He slid her food under the door, and turned to go.

"It's alright."

 _No, no it's not. I tried to shoot you._

She was at least _trying_ to walk the line between staying put, and putting his family in danger. She'd gotten rid of her I.D. card, for one thing, and she hadn't used his name, or any name, since Doofenshmirtz ordered her to only call him Platyborg. "C'mere."

He wasn't going to, but he found himself turning around, and heading back to the cell anyway. He walked up to the bars, and for the first time in what felt like ages, warm arms wrapped around him. "Whatever happens, I know you're just protecting your family. And I don't want you to stop."

She pressed her forehead to his between the bars, and wiped the tears from his cheek.

She acted like she wanted to say more, but he was glad when she didn't. They both knew what a complicated mess this was.

_—

 **A/N: Originally, the stakes were going to be higher, but it added up to a more forced feeling of drama, and too much guilt on Perry's part.**

 **Doof: "Oh, so you have a heart after all. I was starting to wonder…"**

 **Says the guy who wouldn't even offer Perry a soda when you decided to train in your nemesis!**

 **Doof: "Why does everyone bring** _ **that**_ **up? It was a scheme to get them all to Dr. Feelbetter's stupid talk show, for crying out loud! I never meant to hurt the little guy's feelings!"**

 **Sure you didn't.**

 **Doof: "Thanks for reading!"**

 **And that goes double for me!**


	23. Plans

**Flynn-Fletcher House**

Candace crossed her arms as Phineas shook his head in denial. "It shouldn't be this way!" He little brother was fighting back tears. "They shouldn't be fighting each other. They're _family._ "

"It doesn't look like it _is_ that way anymore, Phineas. According to Isabella, A.J.'s plan worked. She distracted Perry long enough to get the rest of the city evacuated. The ones that would leave, anyway. The rest of us are just going to have to sit tight."

He looked up at her, suspicion in his eyes. "You're not leaving?"

"We can't _all_ leave. Those two might trust Doofenshmirtz not to decide to blow this whole house sky high, but I'm not letting my guard up."

Ferb spoke up. "So, the Resistance doesn't really need a leader anymore."

It wasn't a question, but it still got her thinking. All of the sudden she was hit in the face with one glaring fact.

A.J. had to have known Perry would beat her.

_—

 **Doofenshmirtz's Evil Headquarters, Larger Cellblock**

— **_**

Monogram blinked in surprise as A.J. slipped into the room, checking carefully over her shoulder, and motioning for everyone to be quiet.

Carl couldn't contain a small squeal of excitement. "Agent X! We're saved!"

The girl shook her head with a frown, and hissed, "Shhh! Look, I can't let you out right now, but I'm working on it."

He nodded his understanding, even though he didn't quite follow her. "A.J., this may not be the time, nor the place, but you should know that you are now the top Agent in the O.W.C.A." He hadn't expected her to like the news, but he'd thought she was professional enough to at least accept it gracefully.

"Save it." Her eyes shot warning daggers that somehow reminded him of the agent who'd formerly held that distinction. "I can't explain right now. It's too dangerous, but I will if we ever get out of this mess."

Carl gasped, face paling. "You're… you're not siding with Age… er, I mean, you're not siding with P on this, are you?"

There was a stubborn determination in her eyes. "I think everyone here knows full well that I will always side with my _friend_ , no matter what."

"A.J…."

She shook her head. "You don't understand, and I can't say that I blame you. Just… don't give up hope, not yet. If everything goes right, I'll have you out of here soon."

"A.J.!" She ignored him as he turned and left as quietly as she'd come.

"What do you make of that, sir?"

He sighed. "I don't know, Carl. But _how_ does that girl always manage to make _me_ feel the guilty one when my best agent deflects to evil?"

—_

Annie climbed through a vent to a computer terminal, careful to avoid any cameras. She sent off one quick message, then climbed back through the vent to her cell, double time. Using the pieces of metal Perry'd smuggled to her, she locked herself back in, and hid the picks back where they'd been. She didn't have time to catch her breath, so she dropped to the ground, and pretended she'd been doing push-ups.

Right on schedule, the prison guards hovered through the otherwise empty cell block. Her heart nearly stopped when she heard footsteps following them, but she manged to disguise it in a glare as she looked up.

Charline Doofenshmirtz smiled at her through the bars. "Oh, you're actually bothering to keep in shape. That's so pointless, but good for you!"

She stood up, and brushed herself off, not seeing a need to comment.

"You're probably wondering what you did to deserve this visit. Don't flatter yourself, dear. I'm just evaluating the inventory so we'll know what we're dealing with when it comes time to create new cyborg agents."

She wondered if her face betrayed that fact that her blood had just turned to ice water. She refused to give her that sort of satisfaction. "Because that's been _so_ effective."

"Don't you think Heinz's general has done an excellent job? Oh, there've been a few incidents, him turning back to your side and all, but I really do think we've fixed that little glitch. Not changing him is almost as effective, and there's no danger of him remembering who he really is. Who knew?"

The woman didn't even look evil, but it was quite possible she was even worse than her husband. At least the moron had enough scraps of his heart left to feel _remorse_ for treating Perry so terribly.

"Where you to become a cyborg, what attachments would make you most beneficial to us? It works out in your favor, too, you know. Just think, you'd never have to worry about that bad ankle again."

The sick taunting was just a _taste_ of what her best friend had been forced to endure over the years, and that thought brought her blood back to a boil, until she realized what this would mean for Perry. "You'd wipe my memories, too?"

"Oh of course, dear. You made it quite obvious that the Flynn-Fletcher family's safety means nothing to you. Not even the fact that your little pal was in our employ stopped you from making a terrible nuisance of yourself. Quite frankly, it doesn't look like there's anything we can hold against you."

Exactly as she'd wanted it, but it looked like her plan was about to backfire, and end up hurting them all anyway. For the first time, she was really starting to understand what he'd been through. And the fact that she couldn't cry, or even flinch under the evil gaze probably just another taste of what being a cyborg for Doofenshmritz was really like.

_—

 **A/N: I did not see that coming.**

 **Doof: "You're WRITING this!"**

 **Yeah, but I still didn't see it coming. It was origianly going to be Doofenshmirtz coming in to taunt her about her failure, not his wife deciding she'd make a good cyborg. That was completely unplanned, and it kind of ruined the next chapter, so I need to go fix that now. Oh well. Hopefully this still kept that little spark of hope it was supposed to feed back into the story, before that curve-ball hit.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	24. Unexpected Allies

Doofenhsmirtz leaned back in his chair, feet propped on his desk, basking in his good fortune. He'd won, again. The Tri-State-Area was his again. He had his family. He had his army of robots. And, while he'd lost Choo-Choo for good this time, he had gotten another favorite toy back. And this time, Perry the platyborg had actually captured his former partner, and been willing to do whatever it took to keep on his good side, even if it meant destroying her.

Yeah, it was for his family, not because he shared any feelings that, despite it all, they made good team, but that was as mute a point as the Tri-State-Area being relitivley empty this time around. Who was complaining?

The door swung open, and answered his question. "Heinz, we need to talk."

He groaned, and slid his feet down from the desk. "It's good to see you, too, Charline."

She rolled her eyes. "Quit the sarcasm. Where's Platyborg?"

"He's feeding the prisoners." She stared at him in apparent shock, no doubt amazed by the hold he had over the former agent…

"What?! You mean he's not out there looking for all the people who got away?"

Or maybe she was going to dwell on the negatives. He propped his chin up on folded hands. "Why bother with them? They're not a threat as long as we have prisoners, and not everyone got away, if you recall."

"But who exactly do you think you're in control over? You think you can just order Platyborg to keep the city functioning?"

"Hello, robots. Efficient, loyal, they're never going to revolt, and hello! There names are already all Norm!"

She leaned on the desk. "So who's being oppressed here? Oh, boo-hoo, we took their little town and a few friends. The people who got away are just as responsible for locking you up as your little collection in the cellblock. And speaking of that, I think A.J.'s too dangerous."

Drat it all, she was making bad sense. "Little miss Priss isn't going to try anything. I've seen her stare down the face of a blaster, then turn white as a sheet and comply when it turned towards Platyborg. If you'll notice, she's locked safely away, because she still can't bring herself to fight her buddy."

"Heinz, open your eye! She _was_ fighting him, she just lost! We need to do something about it."

He made sure the semi-matalic platypus hadn't reported back, and lowered his voice, just in case. "Look, she may not mean as much to him as his family, but she's still on Platyborg's list. I can't get rid of her, but you don't have to worry; as long as he knows that keeping her in line is keeping her alive, he's gonna do everything he can to make sure she doesn't ever pose another problem."

She leaned in closer, keeping her own voice low. "I'm not saying get rid of her. I'm saying, _modify_ her. If you're right about your general, he's in no position to object as long as she's alive. It's a strong, strategic move, all the way around, and I'll finally have a real cyborg that can speak, and she says _way_ more than one line per day."

So that was what this was all about. She probably missed ordering other people to do her hair and nails for her, and she'd decided Platyborg's friend fit the job requirements. "Alright, look. I'll send Platyborg after the refugees, or, you know, _any_ free people outside the Tri-State-Area, and we'll fill 'er back up if that's what you want. And right now, you and me are going on a raiding spree, and really sprucing this place up, and getting you all the clothes you want."

She was relentless, he had to love that. "What about the girl."

"I'll think about it while we're out."

She beamed. "Oh, of course! It wouldn't do to just turn her into a cyborg without some sort of gameplan!"

He stopped himself from frowning, and nodded in agreement, even though that wasn't what he meant at all.

He'd watched Platyborg break in the torture room yesterday, just because he'd been forced to pull a trigger that would have hurt the girl. He knew it just meant that A.J. wasn't sitting on the top of his list. For all he knew, she came second, or third. And if something happened to the people in his family that came before her, and he'd turned her into a mindless cyborg? He did _not_ want to be in the same galaxy as Perry the Platyborg if _that_ ever happened.

—_

It seemed that Monogram wasn't going to speak to him today. He tried to tell himself that it was for the better, but the loneliness pulled tight in his chest. Rather than helping ease the ache, having Annie's arms around him had just reminded him what it felt like to be cared about.

"Something wrong, P?"

He realized he'd stopped, and was now standing a few steps away from the cells, with his back turned. He looked back over his shoulder at his former commanding officer, and saw genuine concern in his eyes. He opened his bill to chatter, but then Carl gasped, and stopped eating. "The food's been poisoned!"

The chatter died his his throat as the other agents stopped eating, staring at their own dishes in horror. All eyes turned to him. He shook his head, then looked up at Monogram to let him know that, yes, _everything_ was wrong.

The major kept frowning, seeming at a loss for words. Then he looked down at his bowl, and his eyes lit up. He took a big spoonfull of the oatmeal and swallowed it confidently.

Despite himself, a smile tugged at the corner of his bill.

A hint of a returning smile rewarded him as Monogram nodded. "Off you go then."

He resisted the urge to salute, and left, feeling better than he probably should have, he supposed, but if Monogram still cared about him, not even knowing about his deal, then, surely his family understood that this was for them. _Yeah. They're probably getting on just fine, safe and sound, and already inventing all sorts of super fun things._

He hoped for their sakes that they didn't miss him half as much as he missed them.

—_

 **A/N:**

 **Doof: "You in control of the story again, or what?"**

 **Hard to say. Right now, it really depends on who gets the upper hand. Alt. you or his wife.**

 **Doof: "You mean you don't know yet?"**

 **I haven't written the rest yet! It's all just as subject to change as that last chapter!**

 **Doof: "This can't be good."**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	25. Comfort

He missed Perry so much, he thought his heart would burst. And not just Perry. He missed all of his friends, and the taste of summer they'd gotten before Charline Doofenhsmirtz had decided to break her husband out of jail.

There was knock at the front door, and Candace was there with her bowstaff in an instant. "If anything goes wrong, you know the drill; get to Perry's lair, and stay there!"

He nodded as she looked through the peep-hole. She gasped in surprised, and yanked the door open. "Isabella?"

He didn't know why he was so happy to see her; probably because she was the first friend he'd seen in what felt like forever. He raced to the door as his sister yanked the girl inside. "What are you doing here, soldier?"

She held out a small rectangle. "I needed to return this."

Candace looked upset, and as he recognized the I.D. card, he understood why. "Is that AJ's?"

The young girl wrung her hands together. "Yeah. She gave it to me when I refused to stay out of the fighting. Said she didn't dare use it anyway, and explained that it might offer some protection against the robots. It, it saved my life."

He suddenly wasn't so upset that AJ didn't have it anymore. "What happened?"

He could tell Candace was leveling a look at him, even though she had her sunglasses on. She took over, getting the details she considered more important. But even after hearing how the town had been emptied, and they were on their own, all he cared about was hearing, "But how did that tag save your life?"

Candace shrugged, and walked away, like the only thing that mattered was that it had done it's job. She could be like that sometimes. He tried not to get mad at her for it.

Isabella sighed.

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine…"

"No, it's alright. I just… it was closer than it should have been. It makes me angry to think I might have gotten shot if I hadn't had this tag in my pocket. So incompetent."

She sat down on the ground, and he did the same, scooting close. "I hate to think that, too, but not because you could ever be incompetent. So what happened?"

She shot him a surprised look, and the story started spilling out against her will.

—_

She considered throwing the lock picks as far away from the cell as she could, just so that the temptation to flee would be out of reach, but she opted for keeping her cool.

That worked, until the heavy metal door swung open. She jumped, but it was only Perry, bringing in her tray. She studied his face, and noted sadly that he was getting used to this. Not to the point where he enjoyed it, but to the point where tolerating it was getting easier.

As much as she hated it, there was no point in reopening old wounds. It would never matter how much he was suffering as long as his family was safe, so why not let him have a reprieve from the guilt while he could.

He slid her tray into the cell, and turned to go. He stopped halfway to the door, and turned his head to look back at her. There was nothing in his expression to indicate what he was thinking. No sadness, or anger, or even curiosity.

She offered him a smile, and picked up her bowl, taking a bite. He was still sticking to the 'just add water and boil' food group, but he was getting better at it. "Couldn't have done better myself."

There was the tiniest upward twitch in the corner of his bill, and for a second, she could have sworn the twinkle was back in his eye. And then it was gone. He blinked, and looked around the cell block, and his shoulders slumped.

Drat.

"I know things seem bad, but, we've been in worse situations before, right? And Doofenshmirtz… there's something different about him this time. Now that the city's been taken, maybe it won't be so bad."

He nodded, and started to leave again. Something lurched in her chest as she realized that if Charline made good on her threats, the next time she saw the little guy, she might not have a clue who he was. In her haste to stop him, she almost said his name. "No matter what happens, I want you to know that I knew what I was doing. I'm so sorry that ended up hurting you, but we both know I'd do it again if I had the choice, just like you'd always choose to help your family."

He turned to look at her, seeming a little confused. He deserved a warning of what could happen, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him that the only member of his family that he was still allowed to see was about to be wrenched from him.

"It's just… if Doofenshmirtz decides not to let you see me anymore or something, I was you to know that, if I could change anything, I'd just try to be there for you more, and I don't care what ends up happening. It doesn't matter. You're worth it. You'll always be worth it."

He glanced over his shoulder, almost guiltily, then walked back over to the cell. She hugged him through the bars. "If it wasn't for you, I'd never have been part of a family. So don't you worry for one second about me, okay? We're in the same boat again. Whatever you have to do to keep them safe, I'll go along with." Even if that included letting Doofenshmirtz turn her into a cyborg, or just plain disposing of her.

As Perry left, she considered the two options, not sure which she ultimately preferred. She'd rather die than serve the heartless dictator, but… she knew better than anyone that as long as there was life, there was also hope…

_—

Isabella stared down at her hands as she finished her tale, still embarrassed at how close she'd come to failure. Complete failure anyway. Technically, she's already lost Pinky again, and one of her Firestorm girls for the first time…

What she didn't understand was how much she felt like crying right now. Candace's little brother wasn't helping anything. For some reason, she found his presence comforting to the point where, if she had to pick a single person in the Tri State Area to lose her cool in front of, it would be him, and it had nothing to do with the nosedive the population had taken.

She looked back up, hoping to take some hope from his ever present smile, but it had vanished. She felt bad for chasing it away. "Listen, don't let it get you down. I'm sure things aren't as bleak as I'm painting them."

"Not bleak? Isabella, you could have been killed! We've got to put a stop to this."

He reached for her hand, and she yanked it back. "There's no w _e_ about it. There's not really anything left for the resistance to do but protect you guys, and…"

She'd gotten so used to the boy's cheerful disposition, his anger startled her. It was just so, misplaced…

"You don't know how sick and tired I am of everyone trying to protect me! None of us would even _be_ in this situation if it wasn't for me. _I_ got captured. I should be the one sitting back in Doofenhsmirtz's cell, trying to get free. He sure as heck wouldn't have made _me_ be his general. I put everyone in danger."

"It wasn't your fault, Phineas. It was Doofenshmirtz. It's _always_ Doofenshmirtz."

A hint of his smile returned at her words. "Well, technically, it was his wife this time."

"She's still a Doofenshmirtz."

Why had cheering him up given her the hope she'd been looking for? She shrugged the thought away, and started to get up. "Thanks for listening."

He scrambled to his feet and offered to help her up. "No, thank _you_. I mean it. You can talk to me anytime you like!"

She hesitated, then took his hand, wondering what had brought his smile back so quickly.

_—

 **A?N: I think the first dimension Isabella would be shaking herself by the shoulders at this point.**

 **Dreadwing216, you've had an unanswered question for over a week. I'm sorry about that, so I went ahead and added some extra Phinbella into this chapter, just for you. (Okay, and for all the Phinbella fans that ever read this, but they shall read it in your honor; ) And yes, I am planning on more Alt. Phinbella in this story. A word of warning though, my stories don't tend to be very Phineas and Ferb heavy, even though I try to work on that.**

 **Thanks for reading, everyone!**


	26. Dropping Eaves

Perry tried not to stare at his reflection in the chrome cart he was pushing. Yes, he'd gotten used to it, but the changes the boys had made had helped so much, and now, every single one was gone. Except the protective coating that allowed him to go into the water. Apparently Doofenshmirtz had seen the advantages in that. That old, familiar queasiness twisted his gut, and rose in his throat, but he swallowed it.

As he got to Doofenshmirtz's office, he heard voices. He didn't mean to slow down, but when he recognized Charline's whiny tone, he couldn't help it. She'd been keeping her distance, for her own, twisted reasons, he was sure, but he should have known she'd be back to make his life that much more unbearable.

There was no helping it. He'd have to go in there before Doofenshmirtz's muffins got forced a normal pace, but the words that came out of her mouth next froze him solid.

"I'm glad you brought that up, because I've made a list of all the attachments I want AJ to have."

Doofenshmirtz's voice was skeptical. "What does golfing in miniature have to do with cyborgs?"

"And you need to be sure to program her with all my preferred styles. On top of whatever you want, of course. I understand the need for a general in your army."

"I already have a general."

She made a 'pfft' noise. " _Platyborg_? How much longer do you really think he's going to put up with this? Don't tell me you've actually bought into the whole 'importance of family' bit. It's probably some sort of ruse, dear. Besides, if he messes up too many times, he wont have any family left for you to threaten, and then where will you be?"

 _What is she talking about? Did I do something wrong?_ His mind raced back over every moment since his captivity. He'd struggled, yes, but had it been enough for Doofenshmirtz to punish him? And how badly? Were they talking about Annie, or the rest of his family? The thought was enough to make him queasier than his metallic body ever had.

"Trust me, you'll be glad to have a backup when your little toy breaks. So, I'm thinking that we need to really make sure the brainwashing holds this time. I'm talking _deleted_ memories. Hey, if it works, you'll be able to keep Platyborg, and take your revenge on his family, too. You could even order _him_ to dispose of them, oh, how sweet would _that_ be?"

 _No!_

"No." _Wait, what?_

"What did you just say?"

Doofenshmirtz's voice was calm as he repeated himself, but his tone was one he was all to familiar with; that knife edged control that threated to snap if pushed just a little. "Platyborg's held up his end of the bargain, and as long as he continues to do so, things aren't going to change."

If the dictator wasn't the monster responsible for putting them in danger in the first place, he could have raced in there and hugged him.

He wasn't sure if was the tone, or the look that always went with it, but Charline sounded subdued. "Fine. But you'll at least agree that her leg should be replaced when you make the upgrade."

That finally did it. He lost his breakfast, right there.

_—

There was a gagging sound from the hallway. Charline spun around, but he was already to his feet, glad for an excuse to get away from her and her plans for a girlborg he had no intention of making.

Wait… what exactly _had_ made that noise. An escaped prisoner? He stepped through the door, and stared in shock as his general, clutching his stomach, and looking up at him in horror.

He tried to be angry, he really did. Which is why he surprised himself when he motioned for his wife to stay put, and pulled the door shut.

It didn't take a genius to come to the conclusion that Platyborg had overheard their talk. Something he should be punished for, and yet… it wasn't really the platypus's fault that Charline was being such a witch about the whole thing. "Clean that up."

The cyborg snapped into action, that tremble back. Why did it bother him so much? Reducing the semi-matalic mammal to a quivering tin can should be giving him nothing but deep satisfaction.

He glanced at the heave door, then lowered his voice, stooping on a clean place on the floor. "Listen, I don't know what you heard, but as long as you keep doing what you're doing, your family's safe, alright? Maybe I'm going soft, but that's a deal I'm not planning on breaking." He sighed. "As for the girl…" he shook his head, and finally just shrugged, "I don't know. I'm not keen on the idea, but I don't know how much longer I can stand to listen to her prattle on about it. My hands might be tied on that one."

The cyborg nodded, keeping his bill pointed to the ground to try to hide that sad expression.

He got back to his feet, and remembered that Charline was waiting. "Get back to work, you worthless bolt bucket!" He grabbed the cart, and shoved it in through the door. "One of the Normbots is malfunctioning. I've got to go make sure the rest are working properly." He shut the door again, and looked down at the curious expression on Perry the platyborg's face. He shrugged. "Seriously. Get back to work."

—_

 **A/N: I have no a/n.**


	27. Changing Heart

Doofenshmirtz shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away, not really sure where he was headed until he got to the cells. Ah, gloating to _former_ major Monogram. That would cheer him… right. He'd moved AJ to this cell… and, of course, she was awake.

There was just the slightest hint of fear in her eyes as she looked at him. No doubt Charline had been down here, measuring her or something.

He walked up to the bars. "I've got a problem."

"You only know about one?"

He narrowed his eye at the quick comeback, but the fact that his general had vomited in his hallway had sucked some of the evil out of him this morning. "I don't know what to do with you. Charline has her ideas, but… I'd like to keep you in one piece. So, with that in mind, why are you being so difficult?"

She shrugged like it was obvious. "You're evil."

"You could have left. Instead, you made sure pretty much everyone else got out. And the worst part is, I already had Platyborg, and his family. So what's left to control you with? Maybe I don't have a choice but to turn you into a cyborg, huh?"

Her eyes shot to his, angrily. "You'd better make sure that's the right choice. You can't exactly _reverse_ a decision like that."

She was right. He couldn't. "I made him better."

"Is breaking him making him better, too?"

He wasn't stupid. He knew why she wasn't saying his name. For a second, he considered forcing her to, but… it just seemed kind of petty right now.

"Who's in charge, Doofenshmirtz? You, or your wife?"

He wasn't sure why, but he felt the need to remind her. "Well, it's certainly not _you_."

She shook her head. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but… it's not too late for you."

Well that had gotten out of hand quickly. "What?"

"Let me rephrase; even now, there's still some minuscule, tiny, scrap of humanity left in you that's keeping you from being your wife's mindless drone. Even you're not past the point of redemption yet. But watch yourself Doofenshmirtz. It's fading fast."

"I'm evil. What makes you think I don't _want_ it to?"

She shrugged. "It's held on this long."

The door creaked open behind him, and a tired Platyborg came in, carrying a single tray. He paused for a moment, then walked to the cell and pushed the tray under before turning to walk away.

"Thanks."

At the girl's voice, his little general finally forced himself to look her in the eyes, and nod, swallowing hard. His whole body tensed up as he walked away, leaving them both in the room.

The girl let out a regretful sigh, and he realized that it matched the silent one in his own chest. He needed to do something differently. This wasn't fun anymore.

Maybe the annoying chatterbox was right; maybe he was teetering on some sort of balance right now. But which way should he tip? Did he want to do what Charline wanted, and take that final plunge into evil, never to be haunted by guilt again? Or was there still some part of him that wanted the guilt, because it reminded him that going to far meant it was that much harder to live with himself?

Woahkay. The fact that he had even _asked_ himself that question meant it was time to rethink his options. Charline wanted him to scrap the girl in front of him, and the girl wanted him to roll over and surrender. Well, guess what people, _he_ was in charge.

He scowled at her. "Alright blabbermouth, I just revoked your visiting rights with your little buddy. And while you're giving out advice about being careful, I'd caution you to remember which one of us is in a cell, in danger of becoming a _cyborg_."

He almost thought she looked intimidated until she opened her big mouth. "That's not as bad as what it would turn _you_ into."

"You are on some thin ice right now, and you'd better spend your time hoping Platyborg doesn't tick me off. Because if he does, he's going to be watching Charline get exactly what she wants, and training in his new understudy personally."

Ha. _That_ took the wind out of her sails. He smirked at the reaffirmation that he was right, and Charline was wrong. All he needed to control the girl in front of him, was the cyborg that was already in his control.

But maybe she did have a point after all. Maybe the cyborg could use a little reminder that _he_ was in control. He'd have to give it some more thought.

"Thanks for the pep talk."

—_

It didn't take long for Doofenshmritz to catch up to him. "Platyborg."

Something had changed in the man's voice. He sounded more like his old, evil self. He cringed as he looked up, wondering what he'd done wrong now.

"From now on, you're not allowed on this level of the prison without my permission. Understood?"

He nodded, and waited for the man to get ahead of him before risking a mournful glance back at the door. He looked back, and startled when he saw the dictator had turned to watch him. With a gulp, he pointed back down the hall. _Can I at least say goodbye?_

He rolled his eye. "Oh, of _course_. In fact, you can release _all_ the prisoners! And you can move back in with your family, too. And I'll just surrender, and convert to being a hippie."

As if the dripping sarcasm hadn't been enough of a clue. He started forward, and resisted the urge to glace back over his shoulder again; he'd seen the steel door enough for one lifetime. _Goodbye, Annie._

Doofenshmirtz chuckled. "Don't look so down. Just keep telling yourself that, if you're _very_ lucky, you'll _never_ see her again."


	28. Acceptance

Ferb watched Candace spin her bowstaff. She'd finally given up doing pullups, and he'd have thought her arms would be too stiff to move. He'd been wrong before.

Isabella was doing stretches in the opposite corner, that same, determined look on her face. If those girls couldn't get outside to do something soon, something was going to snap.

He glanced over at his brother, who was watching Isabella with complete and total admiration. He tried to tell himself that his little brother was just trying to distract himself, but he knew better. He also knew better than to think of it as betrayal, considering the situation Perry was in right now, but he couldn't help it. How could Phineas fall in love at a time like this?

Not that he had any right to ask such questions, considering who caused his heartbeat to quicken. Curse Vanessa Doofenshmirtz, and the whole family, for that matter.

Something needed to change. With one play, capturing Phineas, Doofenshmirtz had slowly, but all too surely neutralized Perry, Candace, and AJ from the playing field. The O.W.C.A. the town, and the rest of the resistance were really just fallouts. They needed Perry back.

But how? He could go barreling blindly back in. The dictator would either pat him on the head, and tell him to go home, or he'd kill him in front of his pet. He'd be willing to die, but the sad fact was, his whole family would have to die before Perry would be free to break his deal.

He noticed that Candace was now standing over his shoulder. "It could be worse. At least AJ got most of the people out."

"What about her?"

Candace still didn't have an answer for that, which meant they were just going to leave her there.

He sighed. "You can go. I'll protect Phin."

"But who will protect you? No can do. There's no way I'm letting Doofenshmirtz get his hands on either of you again. C'mon Ferb, we can't put Phineas back in the line of fire."

He nodded sadly, glancing over at the boy staring at the focused girl, looking oblivious to everything else.

* * *

Moments like these were enough to make him question why he was here. It was two in the morning before Doofenshmirtz let him go to 'bed' in his corner. He'd never gotten back the blanket he'd given Phineas, but he'd gotten used to going without comforts, so, it evened out.

Sleep wouldn't come, knowing that his family was holed up in the house somewhere, just, waiting. It was probably driving them madder than it was him. And Annie… he couldn't think about what she was waiting for, but he tried anyway.

Maybe Doofenshmirtz would end up turning them all into cyborgs before he was done. Technically, they'd still be alive, right?

But the fact that he couldn't curl into a little ball right now made it seem wrong. I have to do better. I have to follow orders, and make sure he never, ever has a reason to punish me.

In short, he had to fight past all these dismal thoughts, and through all the heartbreak. As much as it pained him, he just couldn't afford to even think of himself as the Flynn-Fletcher family's pet anymore.

He nodded slowly, letting the decision sink it. No more moping, or making himself sick with worry. The only thing that would help his family was focusing on each task and obeying orders like he was a Normbot.

He closed his eye, and chased away every memory that tried to resurface. His old life was gone.

It was time to move on.

* * *

Perry wasn't allowed to see her anymore, and staying was really just making Doofenshmirtz more angry than escaping would at this point.

Heck, if she escaped, Perry would probably be allowed out of this dump to hunt her down. She'd gotten good at hiding from… who was she kidding? Everything she knew about avoiding Doofenshmirtz's general was useless. She was up against the platypus now, and he'd find her in a matter of hours, if not minutes. And then, there'd be punishment involved, and there was no reason to put him through that. Not yet anyway.

She closed her eyes, leaning back against the cell, missing… home. A sigh escaped her, and she let herself wonder why she'd never really thought of it as home before.

* * *

The next morning,Doofenshmirtz called him straight into his office. He reminded himself not to cringe, and was surprised to find how much it improved his salute.

"Ah, Platyborg. The Normbots have been handling the city patrols up until this point, but I've lost a few, so it appears I need to send out a little pest control. That's you. Can I trust you to handle it?"

Just as long as my family isn't involved. He nodded before he could consider the fact that someone had to be involved.

"Excellent. I'll expect you back with a full report, and don't take all day about it. You wouldn't want me to just sit around bored all day, would you? Not with your treacherous little friend in a jail cell, hmm?"

He shook his head, saluted again, and left quietly.

The fresh summer air hitting his face stirred something inside of him. It was so calm, and peaceful… because the city had been evacuated.

He sighed, happy feeling dissipating as he really looked at the abandoned houses, scanning at the same time for some sign of a resistance member. Before he fully realized where he was, he cause sight of a hauntingly familiar house, and stopped short hovering.

It was so tantalizingly close, but he just couldn't risk it. Even so, something within him insisted that he stay for just a second, trying desperately to catch even one last glimpse of his family.

The house looked just as abandoned as the rest of the town.

It figures. He nodded at the reassuring thought. They're keeping their heads low. Still… this wasn't how he had pictured things. Instead of running around, enjoying summer and inventing things, they were practically prisoners.

He steeled his face. In their own home, instead of Doofenshmirtz's cell, or worse, victims of his revenge.

Things weren't ideal, but there wasn't anything he could do about that.

* * *

 **A/N: Really sorry about the long wait between chapters. I lost a bit of my focus, but, I'm not planning on pulling any total disappearing acts for a while now. Also, this story is getting a little long comparatively... hang in there!**

 **Thanks for reading this far!**


	29. Heartbreak

"I'm not so sure about this, Ferb. Do you think we're really ready to build something this complicated? And what if it doesn't work? If one little thing goes wrong, then…"

Candace whipped off her sunglasses. "What do you mean? I thought this thing was foolproof! Alright, I'm putting a stop to it…"

"Wait! I'm just double checking, Candace! I think we've got it, I just… I don't know if we should go through with it. Ferb?"

He nodded, giving his brother a thumbs up. It was worth the risk to save the Tri-State area. Besides, the risk was very low; he hoped.

"Alright. On the count of three then. One. Two… Three!"

Together, he and Phineas pressed the button. Before he even had time to wonder if something had gone wrong, the machine started clanging and sputtering. His eyes widened in alarm; the pressure was building up too fast…

—_

 _ **Doofenshimrtz Evil Headquarters**_

_—

Obey, eat, sleep. And keep breathing. That was the new rhythm of his life, and there was no end to it. Obey, breath, eat, sleep.

The more Doofenshmirtz seemed to trust him, the less contact with the outside world he was given. He didn't know if that was a good sign, or a bad sign, but that didn't matter any more than how much he hated being Doofenshmirtz's general instead of the Flynn-Fletcher's pet. He shook his head to clear it before the memories overwhelmed him.

He hadn't seen Annie in ages. He didn't know if that meant that she was safe, turned into a cyborg or, still worse, a failed experiment, but that couldn't matter anymore either.

He sighed, trying to stop his mind from bringing up an image of Phineas's comforting smile. He could sure use one of his hugs right about now… what was he doing? General, general, general… obey, breath, eat, sleep. Obey, breath, eat, sleep…

"What?!" Doofenshmirtz's shrill exclamation nearly caused him to spill the tray he was holding. He steadied the cup before it could tip, and pour coffee onto the rug, and looked the tray over; nothing he couldn't fix. He gave a sigh of relief.

Charline was in the next office, too. "So what's the problem?"

He doubled checked the tray one more time, just to make sure it was how Doofenshmirtz liked it.

"Those meddling brats! Why… how?"

Meddling brats? Had the kids tried something? _Don't make him mad! Just lie low!_

Charline sounded like she could care less. "Does it really matter? The important part is, you won't have to worry about them anymore."

 _Wait, why?_

"I _needed_ those people!"

She scoffed. "To keep your pet in line? Hardly. You still have the girl, and the entire O.W.C.A. It's not like you lost all your leverage."

 _Lost his leverage?_ His heartbeat throbbed in his throat.

"I still don't understand how the house could just… implode like that."

 _Implode?_

"They were probably trying to stop you, and paid the price they deserved. Stop worrying about it!"

It sounded like Doofenshmirt leapt to his feet, smacking his hands onto the table. "You don't seem to understand the gravity of the situation. Platyborg is only under my control under the conditions of our deal. The only family that I could _possibly_ use as leverage against him is _**DEAD**_!"

The word was like a bullet to his gut. Something clattered to the floor, and he had to look up to see the contents of the tray he'd been so concerned about before he realized that it was _him_. The scatter breakfast tray blurred, and so did the black boots that came running into the hall.

Doofenshmirtz was standing over him, watching him cry, but it didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered.

Charline's voice was a lot closer. "There. You see where your worrying has got you? You didn't even have to tell him. Now he knows. But trust me, things aren't as bad as you think. You still have leverage, and if that fails, you can just dispose of him, and make the other cyborg I've been nagging you about. Problem solved."

Her heals clicked as she walked away. Doofenshmirtz didn't say a word as he stood there, watching him. "Get a grip, Platyborg. It was all a… test. And… you're failing. Better luck next time."

If only that were true, but he could hear the lie in the dictator's voice. He continued to sob, silently, letting the memories rush over at him, letting his failure tear into him. Gone… his family… gone.

He was vaguely aware that Doofenshmirtz was yanking him to his feet, and pulling him along the hallway. He heard everything that was going on around him just as clearly as he kept hearing Doofenshmirtz's voice declaring his family dead, over, and over, and over…

Metal screeched in protest, and he was shoved to his knees. "Fix him!"

"What did you do?!" Two arms were already wrapping around him. Not the arms he needed, but he buried his face in her shoulder anyway. She stroked the back of his head gently, but she was tense. "Doofenshmirtz, what did you _do_ to him?!"

"It wasn't my fault! Those kids were messing around with things they shouldn't have been, and destroyed themselves. There was nothing I could do about it."

"What?"

"Oh don't _you_ start crying too! Just… fix him!"

Metal screeched again, and then they were alone. He cried until he had no energy left to cry anymore.

_—

He felt numb all over as he woke up in the cell. Was curled up a few feet away, face swollen from crying. He shot a look around the cell, protectiveness trying to rise up in him, but as much as he didn't want to loose her, too, the part of him that cared was shattered inside of him, a broken, throbbing mess. How could he protect her, if he hadn't been able to protect his family?

He had no doubt in his mind that they'd been trying to stop Doofenshmirtz. Their safety had meant nothing to them, with the Tri-State-Area under the dictator's control. He clenched his fists.

Annie put a hand on his shoulder. "Right. We're gonna finish what they started. First things first." She held up the lock-pick he'd smuggled to her. "Let's get out of this cell."

He frowned at it, then blasted the cell door. He motioned for her to open the panel where the tools were still hidden. He needed the full use of his weapons back, because Doofenhsmitz's reign was about to end.

—_

Ferb patted Phineas's shoulder as the younger boy wiped his nose. "I know we had to do it. I just hate to think about how much Perry will be hurting."

Candace shrugged. "So don't think about it. Instead, think about how happy he'll be when the Doofenshmirtz family is behind bars where they belong. In the meantime, I'm going to go figure out where we are."

He shot to his feet. "You can't! If someone sees you, they'll figure out what we did, and the whole plan will be spoilt."

She threw up her hands in exasperation. "So we still can't do anything but wait?"

Phineas sided with him. "For right now. Maybe we can work on a cloaking device, next. But Ferb's got a point. If any of us are spotted, we lose our advantage. For now, we need t stay dead."

_—

 **A/N: I was going to leave this as a cliffhanger, but… that's been done, and who knows when I'll get back around to updating this again? Hopefully it won't be as long as last time, but as you know by now, I get distracted, really easily.**

 **So what do you think? Too much? Too cliche? Too predictable? Drop a comment in the review box, and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you!**


	30. In Memory of

AJ kept the silence as she clicked the panel back in place. Perry hadn't played her any sort of recording, but she didn't need him to. Not after the way Doofenshmirtz had dragged him in here utterly broken, or the way the dull look in her friend's eye now said only, stop Doofenshmirtz.

So the Flynn-Fletcher family was gone. If the grief was like a knife twisting in _her_ gut, she couldn't imagine what Perry was feeling.

He checked his weapons, nodded, and then left the cell. She showed him the vent, and he flew up into it. She followed without a word.

_—

* * *

 **Candace Flynn**

* * *

_—

Finally doing something had released the tension, but it was back, and coiled more tightly than ever. Ferb's logic had been irrefutable. For the status quo to change, Perry had to stop protecting them. And Perry would never do that until every last one of them was dead.

For all the good they were doing now though, they might as w _ell_ have blown up the house with themselves in it. Phineas was right; it was a terrible trick to play, but even he had agreed that it had to be done.

She just hoped they'd hurry up with that cloaking device.

_—

* * *

 **Perry**

* * *

—_

For now the pain was a dull ache. He kept refocusing his mind on the fact that he was going to stop Doofenshmirtz if it was the last thing he did. Part of him wished it would be, because what did he have left?

His family was gone, and he'd spend the rest of his life grieving them, but, right now, he had to do the thing that had been important enough for them to risk death.

He could tell by the silence behind him that Annie was every bit as committed as he was. As much as he hated the thought of losing someone else, he needed her help. He couldn't divide his focus. His mission wasn't to stop Doofenshmirtz and keep Annie alive… it was to stop Doofenshmirtz.

They came to a split in the air shaft, and Annie finally whispered when he veered left. "Perry."

He looked back over his shoulder as she gestured to the right. "I think it's time to spring the rest of the O.W.C.A."

She had a point, but he had to get up there before Doofenshmirtz realized what was going on. A jailbreak that ended up with all of the prisoners trying to seize control of the prison would cost him the element of surprise. Unless… he pointed to her.

She swallowed hard, and reached to pet him. "Alright. I'll set them free, then catch up."

He nodded, then continued along alone.

The agent in him was trying to come up with a what good had plans done them? The cold hard fact was, if they hadn't ever shown mercy to the undeserving dictator, his family would still be alive. The Tri-state area would be safe. The world would be better off.

Well, he certainly wasn't going to make that mistake again.

Doofenshmirtz was in his office, working away at his desk. He shut the door, and melted the lock with his blaster, not really caring how many Normbots came to stop him, but not wanting to be stupid enough to underestimate the dictator.

Doofenshmirtz looked up, almost calmly. "I guess she couldn't fix you, huh."

He flew into the desk, full speed, toppling it, then dragged the evil scientist out from under it, punching him in the face.

Doofenshmirtz kicked him, hard, with both feet, the impact knocking him backwards _just_ enough for the dictator to try to make a break for it.

He snarled as he tackled him to the ground, taking in the sound of the man's chin hitting the floor.

Taking advantage of his upper hand, he rolled him over, and punched him in the gut, trembling with fury as he realized that he didn't have to worry about any 'consequences' for his actions ever again.

He punched him in the face with his real hand, again, and again, until he realized that Doofenshmirtz wasn't fighting back.

He wasn't unconscious, or even close to it. The look in his eyes was just, resignation.

By rights, he should have been able to take some satisfaction out of any of this, but he couldn't. It wouldn't have mattered if Doofenshmirtz had really been trying to fight back, or if he'd kept trying to regain control of the situation.

He was just numb inside.

Even the rage he was trying to use was only a projection of his grief, and it was all but spent.

He got to his feet, and pointed his blaster. Doofenshmirtz stared it down, wincing, ever so slightly, but it was just one more detail to take note of. He wasn't even going _enjoy_ what had to be done for everyone's safety. All he knew was, if the man hadn't been allowed to live, his family would still be alive.

_—

* * *

 **Doofenshmirtz**

* * *

 **_—**

He had seconds left to live. Maybe less.

Had it all been leading up to this one moment? All the effort he'd spent, to be reduced down to _this_?

Platyborg… Perry, was about to kill him. And from the look on his face, it wasn't out of revenge, or rage, but just to keep him from hurting anyone else.

The words were harder to force out than he'd have thought… _man_ did his jaw hurt… "Well? … What are you waiting for?"

Platyborg frowned at him, steadying his firing arm, but there was a notable lack of firing going on. "What? You want me to beg?" Maybe he owed it to him at that, but it wasn't going to happen. "Forget it." Maybe he was having trouble with the whole, 'good guy' aspect of this. "Or are you just too w _eak_ to pull the trigger?" He figured reigniting that rage from earlier would speed things up, but when something flickered across the platypus's face, he realized that his tone had been more subdued, than anything else.

The blasting arm started to tremble, and then Platyborg lowered it, self loathing passing over his face.

He pulled out his restraint cuffs, and slapped them over his wrists.

After everything he'd done… he wasn't going to kill him? What kind of weakness… what kind of strength did this little guy have?

A laser fired from somewhere to their left, and Platyborg toppled.

He looked over to see a smug Charlene emerging from a hidden door that even _he_ hadn't known about. "Well, so much for _your_ plan."

"Yeah… whatever. Just get these cuffs off me, would ya?"

She laughed. "Oh forget it. You've gone soft. I'd ask for a real divorce, but… I still need a fall guy, now don't I?"

He was _nobody's_ fall guy! He glanced back at the crumpled form of his former, former, former general. He wasn't… dead, was he?

"You know where his little friend was? In the main cellblock, trying to release the rest of the prisoners. Honestly… it's like I have to do _everything_ around here."

"Hey, I…"

"Shut it! Look, I've been patient; I really have. But it's time for s _omeone_ to take charge around here, and since that doesn't seem to be something you're willing to do, then I guess it's up to me, now isn't it?"

She took the cuffs off. "There. You're free. But keep in mind that you'd be _dead_ without my help."

As if she'd ever let him forget it. Despite the fact that he knew it wasn't true. "Yes, Charlene."

"Good. Now, why don't you take this little traitor back down to the cell blocks, and break out your equipment? We have a cyborg army to replenish."

He frowned, then reached down, and pulled Perry the platyborg to his feet, and dragged him from the room, still out cold.

He should be handling this, he knew, but… something about the easy was she was swinging that gun around suggested that, whether she was going to come out and say it or not, he'd just been usurped.

* * *

 **A/N: Yikes... it hasn't QUITE been a year since I last updated, but it's getting close. Sorry about that guys! I've already got the next chapter written, it's just not edited yet. It should go up within the next couple of days.**


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